


Hopelessly

by MisatosPenPen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BDSM, M/M, Oral Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-06 09:59:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 104,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1853845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisatosPenPen/pseuds/MisatosPenPen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke's subjugated the Shinobi world, but his attention is focused on Kakashi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Captured

Suigetsu brought Kakashi in with his hands bound with a rigid metal bar keeping his hands far enough apart to prevent him making hand signs. Sasuke lounged in the throne Madara had prepared for himself. Suigetsu pushed Kakashi to his knees.

“You are one of the few I expected to still be alive,” Sasuke said. “I somehow knew you wouldn’t off yourself as so many others did.”

Kakashi had considered it, but needed to take this last chance. “Sasuke—”

“I know what you’d say. It’s useless now. My revenge is finished and I have no reason to be merciful.”

“Then you have no reason to be cruel.”

“Don’t even try to appeal to my higher nature; Konoha killed that off when they ordered my clan eliminated by my brother, a child.” Rage boiled up briefly at the end, but Sasuke quickly controlled it. Konoha was less than a shadow of its former self. The shinobi world was less than a shadow. He was actually getting tired of being angry all the time.

“I have one condition to letting you live,” Sasuke continued. “Kneel there and beg Itachi for forgiveness for trading his life for your peace.”

It wasn’t hard to bow his head and honestly say: “I offer my sincerest apology for what my village did at the expense of your clan and your brother. I beg Itachi’s forgiveness. And yours. Konoha is guilty for it all.”

Sasuke was silent for moment. “You are the first one to do that sincerely and so readily. I believe you. Now for the reason I had you brought in. I heard you were briefly named Hokage after Danzou and before the Fifth regained consciousness. I name you as Hokage.”

Kakashi was shocked speechless.

“You will be my puppet in Konoha. I have something of an understanding with Gaara; he keeps his position and I don’t level his village if he acknowledges my authority. That woman from Kiri keeps her position under a similar agreement, but I’ll have Suigetsu there to ensure my influence. I’ll replace the other two in the next few days. Do you accept my offer?”

“I never wanted to be Hokage.”

“If you don’t take it, I’ll put an outsider in Konoha. Maybe even bloodthirsty Suigetsu here. Want to take that chance?”

“In that case, I’ll take the position.”

“Good. I have the uniform here somewhere. I’ll find it and give it to you later.”

Kakashi saw that Sasuke was staring intently at his covered eye. He remembered how disdainful Sasuke was of him, a non-Uchiha, having this Sharingan eye. He feared Sasuke would pluck out that eye. Or worse, make him remove it himself.


	2. Reprieve

“Raise your headband,” Sasuke ordered. Kakashi really had little choice but to obey, yet he kept his eye shut. Sasuke threw a kunai in front of Kakashi that stuck in the floor. “Suigetsu, free his hands.” Suigetsu used his sword to cut the bar separating Kakashi’s hands. “Remove that abomination,” Sasuke said to Kakashi. Kakashi stared at the kunai with his one normal eye. “No one but an Uchiha should possess a Sharingan,” Sasuke growled.

Kakashi picked up the kunai and tried to mentally brace himself for this. He remembered watching Rin with morbid curiosity as she removed this eye from Obito’s face. He would do the same, pluck it out and merely sever the nerve. He tried to control his breathing, but it was difficult. He held the kunai up with his right hand as he prepared to pluck out the eye with his left. The touch of his own fingertips around his eye made him flinch. But he was going to do it. He took a deep breath—

“Wait,” Sasuke said. Kakashi thought he was about to have a panic attack at that. “You can’t use your Chidori effectively without that eye, can you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You’re more valuable to me with that eye. But never let me see it again.”

“Ah.” Kakashi was so immensely relieved he bowed to him. He put the kunai on the ground and lowered his headband.

“Get him out of here,” Sasuke ordered.

\-----

Two days in this cell. He knew there were at least twenty cells in the hall, but it was kept dark so he couldn’t be sure; Kakashi wouldn’t chance using his Sharingan anywhere near Sasuke and that may have been the idea. He knew there had to be more cells, but had no evidence of that. Some of the others in this corridor tried talking to those around them, but most, like Kakashi, remained silent, refusing to even answer their fellows.

Kakashi leaned back in the corner. Hokage. He would make the best of it. Maybe he could save Konoha from Sasuke’s wrath. He still couldn’t believe that child had become this. His skin puckered every time he thought about that. Little, smirking Sasuke. He was lost.

He then wondered about his other students. Naruto was practically comatose and he hadn’t seen Sakura since they were captured. They could both be in one of the surrounding cells. A few times Kakashi thought about calling one of their names, but he remained silent. It was as if he lost his will to even speak. And what if they were here? What could he say?

Suigetsu came to him holding a torch and threw the Hokage robes and hat to him. Kakashi couldn’t help but note the blood stains. He put them on nonetheless. Suigetsu led him into Sasuke’s throne room.

As they walked, Kakashi thought that he should actually be grateful. Sasuke had murdered Madara after convincing him to teach Sasuke everything he knew. Madara’s ambition never came to fruition and they weren’t doomed to his worldwide mind control. But in his place, they had another vengeful Uchiha.

Sasuke was lounging in Madara’s throne rubbing his eyes with a hand, disgruntled at being awake. He was never a morning person. That memory lifted Kakashi’s spirits for a moment, remembering happier days when he would rib Sasuke for his morning grumpiness. But those days were gone. That he once made lighthearted jokes at Sasuke’s expense and the two of them sometimes shared momentary mirth watching Naruto freak out . . . He remembered Sasuke almost smiling at him when Kakashi made a joke about Naruto. The memory was far too painful to entertain for more than a second.

Sasuke removed his hand to see the pair approaching him. His eyes brightened with amusement. “Ahh, Lord Hokage.” Sasuke straightened up. “You can sit here,” he gestured to the floor to the left of his throne. Kakashi knelt beside him and Sasuke ignored him after that.

Suigetsu then proceeded to parade shinobi after shinobi before Sasuke. The Suna shinobi were quick to agree to go home peacefully after being told earlier that Gaara was still Kazakage and that he had ordered them to obey Sasuke. Kiri, Iwa, and Kumo took a little more to convince. Seeing the Hokage kneeling near Sasuke did sway them; either they feared Sasuke more or decided their village wasn’t so bad off in comparison.

The Konoha shinobi were easy; they had been the most defeated by this whole situation after Pein destroyed their physical village and so many of their shinobi dead including their Hokage and elders. Those that didn’t kneel down to honor Itachi’s memory did when Kakashi nodded to them to do so.

Kakashi had started out on his knees, but as time went by, he took a chance and shifted onto his ass. Sasuke didn’t seem to notice or care. Just the fact the Hokage was at Sasuke’s side and on the floor in a subservient position was enough display of power. And that was all he was to Sasuke at the moment, a prop. Yet Kakashi wondered why the Mizukage and Kazakage weren’t beside him or the others. It had to be because Sasuke wanted to humiliate him. Whatever. He wondered if he had any pride left.

He would soon find out.

Kakashi was not paying attention as the next person was brought in; he was even more bored than Sasuke. But Sasuke’s chakra chilled. Kakashi looked up. Sakura was standing before them. Her eyes were flicking between them.

“Sakura.” Sasuke’s voice was cold. Sakura couldn’t even speak. “You tried to kill me twice in one day. The only reason I can see to spare your life is your abilities as a medical-nin. However, I don’t feel I can trust you.”

He didn’t need to say it, they both knew he was going to kill her.

“Sasuke, wait,” Kakashi said.

Sasuke looked down at him for the first time since Kakashi sat down beside him. His eyes narrowed at him.

“I’ll do anything,” Kakashi pleaded. He didn’t like the glint in Sasuke’s eye.

Sasuke turned back to Sakura and Suigetsu. “Take her out to the hall and wait there.” Suigetsu obeyed.

The door shut ominously. “Ever give a blowjob before?”

Kakashi was too shocked to speak for a moment. “No.”

“Then I’ll forgive your lack of skill.” Sasuke slid his ass a little closer to the edge of the throne and leaned back.

What made the situation worse was that Kakashi had to practically crawl on his knees to kneel between Sasuke’s spread legs. Kakashi kept the hat on and tried to hide under it; Sasuke didn’t seem to care. Kakashi untied Sasuke’s rope belt and pulled Sasuke’s clothes down. Sasuke helped by lifting his ass.

Sasuke was still mostly soft. Kakashi couldn’t believe what he was about to do, but he pulled down his mask, leaned down, and took him into his mouth. Sasuke hardened against his tongue. Kakashi’d received blowjobs before and now tried to emulate them. Sasuke’s body relaxed in pleasure. Kakashi was surprised to find he was getting aroused as well.

Kakashi sucked at just the head and rubbed his tongue around it, poking at the slit and running his tongue around the flare. He took more of the shaft using his lips as well as tongue against the smooth shaft. The head hit the back of his throat. He tried to take the head into his throat, but nearly gagged. He tried twice more before he could control his reaction; his throat convulsed uncontrollably though. Sasuke moaned and his hips thrust up a little, forcing the last inch down Kakashi’s throat. Kakashi nearly chocked, but took it. He got used to it and deepthroated his former student.

As Kakashi’s head bobbed up and down, the tip of his Kage hat lightly poked Sasuke’s in the waist. Sasuke yanked the hat off and threw it aside then grabbed Kakashi’s white hair. He didn’t push or pull, just fisted it. Sasuke’s breathing increased, he was getting close. Kakashi was prepared to take the load down his throat, but Sasuke pulled his head away as he started cumming, a pair of shots landing in Kakashi’s mouth, the rest spraying on his face.

Kakashi was moving to wipe the cum from his face. “Leave it there,” Sasuke said and then tossed his head to indicate that Kakashi should resume his place. Kakashi looked at him and realized this was the first time Sasuke had seen his face. Somehow that humiliated him more and he blushed.

“You should be honored since it’s something many, including Sakura, desire.” Kakashi got up and retrieved his hat, putting it on as he resumed his place, hoping that under it he could hide the cum. Without orders, but receiving no reprimand, Kakashi did raise his mask over his mouth, the cum being on his nose and cheek, just above the line of his mask.

Sasuke adjusted his clothes and retied his belt. A swell of chakra summoned Suigetsu back in.

“I’m sparing your life,” Sasuke told Sakura. “You should thank your new Hokage.” Kakashi kept his head tilted down to hide his face. Sakura suspected Kakashi had done something shameful, humiliating, or costly to save her. “I’m sparing Naruto as well. Take her back to her cell. You can let all your fellow Konoha shinobi know that I’ll be sending them home over the next three days. Suigetsu, come right back.” Sasuke waved them away.

Neither of them said anything into the deafening silence after the door shut. Sasuke shifted to a more comfortable position and waited for Suigetsu to return. Kakashi wouldn’t allow himself to think about what he’d just done, just that Sakura and Naruto were going to survive this and they were all going home. Well, whatever home was left.

Suigetsu returned. “She was the last one, correct?” Sasuke asked.

“You wanted the blond kid last, but I take you don’t want to see him.”

“Is he awake?”

Suigetsu was amused. “Depends on your definition of ‘awake.’”

Sasuke smirked. “Take _the Hokage_ back to his cell.” Kakashi stood and approached Suigetsu, still trying to hide his face.

“The three of you will return to Konoha together with the last group,” Sasuke said to Kakashi. “See if you get a hero’s welcome. You let me know.” Sasuke gave him a malevolent smirk and waved him away.


	3. The New Hokage

They were a silent progression back to Konoha. A mere dozen of them. 40,000 of 80,000 shinobi were killed before Sasuke arrived on the battlefield. When Sasuke murdered Madara right there on the frontlines before they went into battle, all the shinobi let out a sigh of relief.

Sasuke looked up at them with more rage than they had ever seen in a man’s eyes. Before anyone could understand his intentions, Sasuke released jutsu after devastating jutsu. He carved out another 5,000 in just the next two days. Thousands fled and Sasuke captured nearly another thousand. One man—Suigetsu, who he’d found and brought with him, notwithstanding—had routed the united shinobi forces. He’d also disposed of all the Zetsu clones, leaving the battlefield a smoldering wasteland, scotched by black flames. Sasuke’s wrath had been truly terrible.

Naruto and Killer Bee had been their last hope, but Bee was badly wounded by Sasuke and Naruto was trapped in a genjutsu half way through their battle. Kyuubi could have snapped him out of it, but Kakashi suspected there was a lot more going on between Naruto and Sasuke within Naruto’s mind; he also know about the Uchiha’s power over the Kyuubi, meaning Sasuke truly was the worst opponent for Naruto. Naruto collapsed. Sakura was tending the wounded when Suigetsu captured her. Kakashi surrendered to Sasuke rather than fight him even as hundreds committed suicide when they saw Sasuke approaching them. He was tempted to do the same, but thought there might be a chance. But what did even that chance amount to? Sasuke was lost.

Naruto hadn’t recovered by the time the Konoha shinobi and their new Hokage journeyed back to Konoha, still catatonic. He was being carried on a palanquin along with the wounded who could not walk. Kakashi did not wear the Hokage robes and hat, but carried them on his back. Sakura paced the palanquin. Thankfully, Sasuke had released Yamato and he was now here to make sure the Kyuubi didn’t take advantage of Naruto’s state to take over as well as create the palanquin.

There was no large welcome when they arrived in Konoha. The civilians and a few shinobi that had remained behind to protect them had made some progress on the rebuilding. To most, their arrival went unnoticed. Sakura and Yamato took Naruto to a tent and Kakashi entered the tent that had housed Tsunade during her coma. Shizune was in there weeping. She started at his entrance.

“Forgive me,” Kakashi said and moved to leave.

“No, no, please, tell me what’s going on.”

“Sasuke’s released all his captives and made me Hokage. I’ll probably be little more than his puppet, but I had little choice. Naruto’s catatonic, but Sakura and Yamato are with him.”

“At least _they_ survived. And you Kakashi; everyone wanted you to become the next Hokage.”

“I don’t think Sasuke will demand anything now; we can focus on rebuilding.”

\-----

It didn’t take long for Kakashi to get used to the position. He was just getting comfortable when Sakura decided to turn everything upside down again. Kakashi was writing out a budget for the money Sasuke had unexpectedly sent him, dividing the money between reconstruction and rations. He sensed Sakura loitering outside the tent, uncertain about entering.

“Come in, Sakura,” he called. She stepped in.

“I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“It’s fine. What do you need?”

She came up to his makeshift desk. “I wanted to thank you. For saving my life.”

“I would never abandon you. If I can do anything to save your life, I will do it.”

“Thank you.” Her emotions started to press against the dam she built around them, tears welling up in her eyes. She shut them to stop the tears. “I can’t believe Sasuke . . .”

Kakashi got up and came around to her. She flung herself into his chest and he held her while she cried. Sakura had grown recently, her head was pressed into his shoulder rather than his chest. Either that or he was more worn down than he thought. It was probably both.

He also couldn’t believe what Sasuke had turned into. Sasuke had always been precious to him, seeing himself in the angry young man and taking to him like a father. He knew he’d been unfair to Sakura most of all, but he loved Sasuke; his loss made him balk at keeping Sakura or taking on a new team especially with Naruto leaving with Jiraiya. He was grateful to Jiraiya and Tsuande for taking his remaining students off his hands. He’d gone back to his lonely life as a solo Jounin, not even seeing Sakura for weeks at a time and then only to say hello and see how she was doing. Nothing more.

Now, with Sasuke completely consumed with hatred and Naruto catatonic, Sakura was all he had left. He would trade his life to protect her. She was now the most precious thing to him.

\-----

A month had passed and Konoha was finally recovering. That’s when Sasuke chose to make an appearance. Sasuke was suddenly in front of Kakashi’s desk using Madara’s time/space jutsu. Kakashi stood up instinctively at the sudden intrusion. Sasuke ignored him and looked around at the tent’s interior.

“Still not rebuilt.”

“Pein left Konoha as nothing but a crater.”

“Humph. So, tell me, how was your reception?”

“There wasn’t one.”

“I figured. I knew you wouldn’t ride in like a hero poised to save them from their misery. Didn’t even wear the hat, did you? The others did. Well, except for Gaara.”

“Is there something you need?”

“A chair would be asking too much, wouldn’t it?”

“I could summon Yamato to make one for you.” Sasuke chuckled and distractedly looked around out of idle interest. “Are you visited all the Kage?”

“No, just you.” Kakashi stiffened. “I came to give you something.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “Take off your shirt.” Kakashi was uncertain, but obeyed, just taking off the shirt, leaving the combined mask and sleeveless shirt.

Sasuke came around to Kakashi’s right. “You might remember doing something similar to me once.” Sasuke took out a scroll, let the bulk drop to unroll it and held the end between his teeth. Kakashi saw that the scroll had been written in blood. Oh, yes, Kakashi remembered what Sasuke was referring to. The seal he placed over Orochimaru’s curse seal. The scar in the center of his right palm ached at the memory.

Sasuke made a few hand signs then put a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. The bloody glyphs on the scroll traveled over Sasuke’s face, over his arm, and onto Kakashi’s flesh. Kakashi bit back a cry as the glyphs seared into his skin. The large number of glyphs condensed to a smaller design that covered Kakashi’s shoulder and most of his upper arm.

“It’s a summoning jutsu,” Sasuke explained as he walked back around the desk, rerolling the now blank scroll. Kakashi sat down, sapped of energy by the pain just as Sasuke had once been, though he had more resilience and stamina to stay conscious than Sasuke had back then. “I’ll be able to summon you any time so I don’t have to come to you. So, I heard about your new love interest.” Kakashi‘s eyes narrowed. “A little young, don’t you think? She was in love with me for so many years and Naruto is out of it, don’t you feel like nothing more than a replacement?” Kakashi did not respond.

Sasuke looked like he was about to leave, but he froze, completely serious. “I want a memorial to Itachi built here. No Uchiha crest and no Sharingan. I don’t think Itachi would like that. And no Akatsuki clouds. Just something to honor his memory and sacrifice.”

“It will be done.”

Sasuke smirked at him darkly, suggestively. Kakashi repressed a shutter. “Wish I had more time, but I have other things to attend to.” Sasuke vanished.

Kakashi looked at what he could see of the seal. It wasn’t unattractive, like a tattoo of a meaningless designs. Many of the glyphs had merged into flame like markings. He couldn’t help but note the tomoe much like the Sharingan among the black flames. Those flames seemed like a threat of Amaterasu. The pain was fading. He couldn’t tell from this compacted design, but he was certain there was far more to this seal than a simple summoning jutsu.

\-----

Kakashi worked late that night, postponing the inevitable. He went home to a temporary house Yamato had built for him. Once the village was reconstructed, Kakashi would live in the new tower, but for now he lived in the temporary wooden house. With Sakura.

Sasuke was right of course—whether it was true or not—Kakashi did feel like a replacement for Sasuke and Naruto. He was fine with that though. It seemed that people around him died once he became too attached to them. Or disappeared from him. Like Sasuke. He cared for Sakura of course, but he really became her lover for her; she needed someone now and they shared a unique history. It wouldn’t last, but he could enjoy it while it did. No one really batted an eyelash at their relationship; things were so unsettled that no one found it strange.

Sakura hadn’t changed for bed, she was just lying on their bed, exhausted. She was still run off her feet tending people and training new medial-nins. But she was probably spending too much time with Naruto. Kakashi came in and started stripping, hoping Sakura was asleep, but she opened her eyes. He couldn’t hide the black design on his shoulder.

“What is that?” she asked.

“A gift from Sasuke. He can summon me whenever he wants. He doesn’t want to have to come here to give me instructions. Which is probably for the best; keep him from losing his temper when he’s here.”

“Is this the first time he’s been here?”

“Yeah. Just appeared in my office.”

“How does he look?”

“The same. He wants us to build a memorial to Itachi.”

“If it will make him happy.”

“Nothing will ever make him happy,” Kakashi sighed. He pulled off his shirt/mask. Sakura was one of a very few who had seen his face. Sasuke had seen his face right after he’d sucked him off. Everyone else was dead.

Sakura got up to change as well. She crawled in next to him and attached herself to his unmarked arm.

“I hope it gives him some peace,” Sakura said as she drifted off to sleep.

Kakashi shuddered and then felt his new tattoo burn. Kakashi wasn’t sure Sasuke could ever find peace. It took some time for him to fall asleep.

\-----

Sasuke didn’t summon him for three weeks. Kakashi was beginning to wonder if he would ever summon him. Maybe someone had killed him or his own powers had killed him—he’d seen the blood coming from Sasuke’s eyes and mouth before.

He was too tired to really care about Sasuke anymore, too tired to worry. But then Kakashi suddenly found himself summoned to Sasuke’s throne room. He had been sitting and fell to the hard stone floor.

The room hadn’t changed, dark and without decoration beside the Uchiha fan behind Sasuke. Kakashi stood.

“Is the memorial built yet?”

Kakashi was annoyed that he was summoned for this. “No. It’s been designed. It’ll be carved into the base of the cliff under the Hokage faces. We do wish you would give us more direction in its design.”

“Just make it tasteful and make sure it honors my brother.”

“It will.”

Sasuke threw him a scroll. “I’m giving these to all of the Kage and all the shinobi villages. If you need to talk to me, use this summoning jutsu.” Sasuke indicated the side wall. “I have stone spheres there to represent all the villages. This scroll summons the green sphere. I will come when I notice it’s missing, which could be seconds or days. You’ll summon me when the memorial is finished. Use it when you’re attacked or in any type of dire need. I may have crushed your villages, but no one else will harm what is mine.”

Kakashi nodded, it was like an Uchiha to be possessive, or so Minato told him more than once.

“That’s not all I called you here for.” The look in Sasuke’s eyes made his insides squirm. Sasuke stood up, picked up his sword which was leaning against the side of the throne, and stuck the sheath in his belt. “Follow me.”

Sasuke led Kakashi through a part of the fortress Kakashi had not been before. Then, Kakashi only saw the cells, the throne room, and the path between them. Kakashi was suddenly struck by the fact Sasuke’s back was to him. He could probably strike him now. Why didn’t he?

Sasuke opened a door to a pitch black room. Most the fortress was dark; Kakashi had yet to see a window. He _felt_ like he was underground. Sasuke switched on a light. There was only one light and it wasn’t very bright, but it showed Kakashi that this was a bedroom. That squirm in his stomach grew worse.

“I think you know why I brought you here,” Sasuke said. Sasuke gaze was steady, not lustful, not angry, not even expectant.

Kakashi fought for a few extra seconds by looking around the room. His focus landed on the very large bed. Sasuke followed his eyes.

“Madara’s. Needlessly large, don’t you think? I don’t know who all he was planning on fucking. I suspect you’d all be thanking me for killing him if I hadn’t turned on you.”

“Why did you do it, Sasuke? We would have taken you back.”

“For one, I didn’t want your charity and I didn’t want your forgiveness. What is there in Konoha that I want? Nothing. There’s nothing in Konoha but memories I wish to forget.” Sasuke voice was chilling for its evenness.

 _Then why am I here?_ Kakashi wondered. _Don’t I bring back memories? Or does your need to control and humiliate me override even that?_ But he doubted Sasuke’s words; he had to feel something for his hometown.

“Nothing?”

Kakashi regretted speaking when Sasuke’s turned on him. “Nothing,” Sasuke snapped. Sasuke’s chakra flared with the rage in his voice. “Only a nagging memory that my brother wanted to save Konoha keeps me from utterly destroying it and everyone in it. So you all _should_ get down on your knees to thank him every fucking day you’re all still alive.” He shoved Kakashi toward the bed. “That blowjob was the only sex I’ve had in weeks. Keep the fucking head band unless you’re sure you can keep that damned eye closed. I’m out of patience so take off anything you don’t want ripped off.”

For whatever reason, Sasuke shut off the lights. It did ease the nervous dread welling up in Kakashi’s gut. Fearing Sasuke was serious—actually pretty positive he was—Kakashi started to strip. He was left with only his shirt/mask when Sasuke push him onto the bed.

Sasuke moved effortlessly in the dark, either used to it or using his Sharingan to see in the pitch black. It was almost ghostly how Kakashi felt Sasuke’s weight on the bed, a knee first next to Kakashi’s thigh, a second knee on the other side, then a hand near his bicep, then the last hand mirroring the first. In the dark it was as if an invisible attacker were moving over him.

“Normally have sex with the mask on?” Sasuke asked. Kakashi assumed Sasuke was using his Sharingan to see, something he was forbidden from doing.

“No.”

“Whatever.”

Sasuke rolled him over and pinned his left shoulder to the bed, then his other hand slid between Kakashi’s legs. Kakashi jumped, but Sasuke’s grip tightened.

“Virgin?”

“Yes.”

“I figured as much. I’ll have to go slow.” Kakashi wanted to ask why he would bother. _Just rape me and get it over with._ But he didn’t. He felt Sasuke’s body hovered over his and it was a shock when he felt Sasuke’s lubed fingers at his entrance.

Kakashi thought he should be happy at that at least. He rested the side of his face in the pillow and shut his eyes, just letting it happen. Sasuke’s finger pressed in.

“Just relax or it will _really_ hurt.” Sasuke’s voice wasn’t soft, it was clinical. But the next to words were lower and soothing. “Trust me.” Trust his rapist. That was funny.

But Kakashi obeyed and tried to relax, letting Sasuke’s fingers penetrate him and stretch him. This wasn’t foreplay; Sasuke didn’t try arouse him, just stretch him.

“Just remember to breathe.” Again, clinical, not caring.

Yet again, Kakashi took his advice. Part of him wondered how Sasuke knew what he was doing, whether it was common sense or experience. Come to think of it, Sasuke said he hadn’t had sex in weeks, implying he had a lover. Who? The pain of Sasuke’s hard cock entering him forced that small thought away.

Kakashi bit back a cry and tried to relax, tried to accept him, but it was difficult. It stung more than anything he’d experience in a very long time. He was certain he was feeling his flesh being stretched to the point of tearing. He wanted to cry out. He concentrated on his breathing and was surprised that he needed it; pain caused his lung to seize up; he wouldn’t have been able to scream if he tried. Concentrating on his breathing also helped him deal with the pain. Finally, he felt Sasuke’s hips press against his ass. Sasuke exhaled audibly.

“Relax, damn it,” Sasuke hissed. Kakashi tried to obey.

Once Kakashi’s body stopped gripping him to the point of pain, Sasuke pulled half way out and shoved his cock back in. Kakashi grasped, but refused to react anymore than that. Sasuke gave another few experimental thrusts before he was pulling nearly all the way out and fucking his former sensei properly. He didn’t say anything, but he did start to moan a little.

And soon, Kakashi did as well. Even before the pain died away, pleasure started to replace it. Sasuke shifted his angle and hit Kakashi’s prostate dead on. Kakashi cried out then. Sasuke took advantage of that spot and soon he had his sensei sighing his name into the pillow.

Sasuke’s hand explored Kakashi’s side, hip, and thigh, feeling the smooth skin and lean muscle there. Kakashi gripped the bedding and Sasuke bent down lower so that Kakashi could feel his breath on his neck and back through his mask/shirt and in his hair. He started pressing back into Sasuke’s thrusts. Kakashi whispered his name again as they both got close.

Kakashi was ripped from the world that had contracted to just the mere feeling in his lower body by Sasuke ripping his mask down from over his neck and Sasuke’s mouth suddenly diving for his neck. Sasuke bit and sucked at the skin aggressively through the tear in the fabric. It felt so good. His saliva trickled down his teeth and onto Kakashi’s neck. Kakashi groaned.

Sasuke’s hand migrated underneath his body to Kakashi’s erection and started jerking him off as well as he could under their combined weight. Kakashi raised himself up a little to give Sasuke more freedom there. It was a battle never really fought; Kakashi cam hard. Sasuke never stopped pounding into him and finally cam deep inside.

The only sounds were their panting. Kakashi discovered he was covered in sweat and it felt like the body above him was as well. Sasuke slipped from his body and lay next to him, regaining his breath. Neither moved or spoke for several minutes.

Finally, Kakashi asked, “Why me?”

“You hardly hesitated last time.”

“That was to save Sakura’s life. I wouldn’t hesitate to save her life no matter what.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. No one’s life was on the line, the safety of your precious village wasn’t being threatened; I threatened nothing at all. Did you think I was?”

“No,” Kakashi admitted.

“Humph.” Sasuke sat up. “You can rest here as long as you like. Then clean yourself up, dress, and come to the throne room. I think you can find your own way. Feel free to use anything of mine you need.”

Sasuke got up and entered his bathroom, turning on the light in there. Kakashi rolled onto his back. Sasuke cleaned up, left the light on, reentered the bedroom, and dressed.

“If I happen to not be there, wait there.” And then he was gone.

Kakashi lay there thinking. Damn, he’d just been fucked by one of his own students. What did that matter? He was fucking another one at home. At least Sakura was a girl. And that had not been rape. But was this really? As Sasuke said, there was no threat and he hadn’t _really_ forced him. Sasuke’d been aggressive, but not violent. Kakashi could have resisted, but he didn’t.

But Kakashi had to be truthful with himself: he wanted to be raped. He had failed so terribly. He couldn’t save Sasuke, couldn’t stop him, couldn’t kill him. And he was the one who had taught Sasuke the basis for many of his most devastating attacks. He would have gladly accepted flogging for his failing, but this was just as bad. He’d indulged his own self-castigation.

And Kakashi’d liked it. He’d been sighing Sasuke’s name like a lover. And the name came so readily to his lips. He rubbed his head. So what? What’s done is done. Whether he enjoyed it or not, it was over. Sasuke got what he wanted and Kakashi had cum as well. He couldn’t hate Sasuke for it.

Kakashi levered himself up, stripped off his mask/shirt, and walked to the bathroom, his ass a bit sore. He took a shower cleaning all the cum from his torso and ass. He even washed his hair of the sweat and the saliva from his neck. Kakashi had to laugh just a little at the fact Sasuke used jasmine scented conditioner. Kakashi used some of it and borrowed Sasuke’s comb. He said to use anything of his.

Once he finished he noticed the edge of the love bite in the mirror. He looked for bandages and hid the mark; he’d blame it on a wound from sparing. The tear in his mask was right over it, so he could pull off the lie. He dressed and found his way back to the throne room.

Sasuke was just lounging in the throne, bored, doing nothing; his eyes were even closed. He opened them as Kakashi approached.

“Ready to go home?”

“Yes.”

Kakashi found himself suddenly back in his office facing the front of his desk. He felt others behind him and spun around. Sakura and Yamato.

“What happened?” Sakura asked.

“Sasuke summoned me.” He walked around to his chair and sat down, wincing as he did so.

“You’ve been gone over an hour, at least.”

“We talked and we sparred,” Kakashi lied. “He’s given us a means of communicating with him if we need to.” He tossed the scroll onto the desk. “He wanted to know how the memorial was coming along as well.”

“That’s all?” Yamato asked.

“And the sparring. He looks incredibly bored.” That was the truth. He sat back, letting his exhaustion show.

“Are you alright?” Yamato asked.

“Fine. He did kick my ass.” Half truth. “I’ll be fine. Did anything happen while I was gone?”

“No,” Sakura said. “I just wanted to see you and you were gone.”

“I think you should reconsider an ANBU guard,” Yamato said.

“Why? Sasuke summons me, Sasuke summons me; they can’t do anything. We need everyone rebuilding or on missions to keep us afloat. I can handle Sasuke.” He was glad his mask hid his blush.


	4. Pinned Ya

The lie actually became the truth. The next few times Sasuke summoned him, it was to spar with him. Kakashi was coming home with more than a sore ass and a love bite. He hoped that one time was the only time.

However, when Sasuke pinned him to the ground today, he definitely saw lust in his eyes.

“Not again, Sasuke.”

“Why not? You can’t deny you enjoyed it last time.”

Kakashi didn’t stop him from pulling his mask down. “No, Sasuke. Please.”

“What’s the point of ruling then entire shinobi world if I can’t merely take what I want?”

Sasuke leaned in and started sucking and licking at his lips. Kakashi didn’t expect that and his lips parted. Having loosened his lips, Sasuke forced his way inside. Sasuke’s tongue caressed his, teasing it out, prompting Kakashi to respond. Quite frankly, Kakashi was scared to seriously resist him. He gave in and kissed back. That unleashed all of Sasuke’s passion. His kiss deepened and his hands started clawing at their clothes. Kakashi decided to give in and ride it out.

“Take the mask off completely,” Sasuke said as he sat up to strip himself. Kakashi obeyed unenthusiastically.

“Know any jutsu to make lube other than water?” Sasuke asked as he pulled Kakashi’s pants down. “I’ve made do with saliva or blood before, but I’d rather not.”

“One.” Kakashi sat up to perform it, but hesitated. This was the first time he’d really seen Sasuke naked in four years. Fuck. He was gorgeous. Perfect muscles and nearly scarless white skin. Kakashi was aroused. But he ripped his attention away and used Izumo’s Syrup Capture Field, but he created a small amount and made it thinner than the honeylike syrup.

“Interesting,” Sasuke commented. He dipped his fingers into the puddle and rubbed it between his fingers. “Convenient.”

“I copied it from a chunin.”

“Perfect. I think he’d be interested to find out what his technique is being used for.” Sasuke pressed his fingers in. Still hurt. “Takes about a dozen times to get used to it,” Sasuke said in answer to Kakashi’s wincing.

That statement didn’t make him angry for the reasons it should. Kakashi felt a flicker of anger because someone had done this to Sasuke at least a dozen times. Sasuke had been his student and responsibility after all. But he was not jealous. He wasn’t. Not jealous at all. It made him angrier to think who it likely was.

That didn’t matter when Sasuke traded his fingers for his cock. The stone floor was a little painful on Kakashi’s head and shoulder blades as Sasuke rocked into him. But damn it did feel good even if it stung like hell.

“You’d get used to it faster if we didn’t wait so long between,” Sasuke said. Kakashi didn’t like the sound of that; Sasuke intended to make this a regular thing?

Sasuke lowered his head so that it nearly touched Kakashi’s chest. Kakashi couldn’t help feeling embarrassed by the fact he’d been sweating and no doubt was beginning to give off an odor. But Sasuke was taking it in by the lungful, clearly not put off by it. And Kakashi also couldn’t help wanting to smell Sasuke. He inhaled deeply and could smell the jasmine of Sasuke’s conditioner. Unaware of his own actions, Kakashi threaded his fingers in Sasuke’s hair as he shut his eyes and arched his back at little.

It was over far too soon. Kakashi cam hard onto his own stomach, one shot hitting Sasuke’s toned abdomen. Sasuke didn’t hold out much longer. Kakashi had to admit he felt empty when Sasuke pulled out.

Sasuke crawled up to kiss him again. It was shallow and a bit sloppy and completely one sided. Sasuke pulled away a bit and that prompted Kakashi to open his eye. Sasuke’s eyes were hooded and still sensual.

“Shower.” Sasuke got off him and gathered his own clothes. Kakashi did the same and followed the unashamedly naked Uchiha to his bedroom and his shower; it wasn’t like there was anyone else there to see them. Kakashi was going to wait for Sasuke to finish, but Sasuke pulled him in with him. It was a large shower, but Kakashi wasn’t all that comfortable showering so closely to another man. Then again, they had just had sex.

And apparently Sasuke wasn’t finished with him.

Sasuke finished cleaning the soiled lube from his cock then pulled Kakashi down with a hand in his hair, forcing Kakashi down onto his knees to suck his regrowing erection. Kakashi didn’t resist, he took Sasuke’s length into his mouth as the hot water rained on them. Sasuke petted and mused Kakashi’s wet hair as he pleasured him.

Sasuke leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes. Kakashi’s first thought should have been how easy it would be to murder him right now. But Kakashi felt a rush at the power he held at the moment: Sasuke was powerless with pleasure; a boost to anyone’s ego. Like the last time, he was growing hard. It took a few seconds to come to his senses, but he didn’t attack, aware that Sasuke was fast enough to sense and repel him even in this situation. Sasuke had to be aware of the possibility.

Before Sasuke could cum, he reluctantly pulled Kakashi away and up then pressed him against the wall and kissed him again. At this point, Kakashi was too aroused not to respond; he kissed back more greedily than before. It ceased to be rape of any kind, right now they were just two men in desperate need of completion, one just more dominate than the other.

Kakashi lowered himself a bit against the wall in response to Sasuke pulling down on his shoulders, making it easier for Sasuke to fuck him. He was still lubed and stretched from before and Sasuke entered him easily with very little sting. Sasuke’s body was pressed against Kakashi and his smooth, moist, muscled abdomen rubbed up against Kakashi’s hard cock. Kakashi leaned back, his throat barred as Sasuke thrust up into him. Sasuke licked at his flawless, elegant throat, tasting his hormone tainted sweat. Kakashi’s back was stuck against the tile wall or he would have slid further down, forcing Sasuke deeper and meet his thrusts. As it was, he could only lean back and take it. The water was pummeling Sasuke lower back, hammering on the sensitive nerves there. It took a little longer than before but Kakashi finally cam, his orgasm milking Sasuke of his own.

Sasuke leaned his forehead against the wall over Kakashi’s shoulder. They caught their breath. A minute later, Sasuke pulled away to finish showering as if nothing had happened. It was harder for Kakashi to pretend, but he got through it. They got out and dried off. Sasuke merely put on a pair of boxers.

“You look exhausted,” Sasuke commended when Kakashi had gotten his boxers back on. “You don’t have to get completely dressed in those sweaty clothes; I’ll send you home.”

A moment later he was home, in his bedroom, his clothes having been sucked into Sasuke’s time/space jutsu as well. So Sasuke wasn’t completely evil. Kakashi took off the boxers and got a fresh pair. He put on a robe, sat down, and summoned one of his hounds.

“Pakkun, go to my office and let them know there than I’m not coming back tonight and that I’m fine, just tired.”

“You’re overdoing it,” Pakkun said.

“Not by choice.”

The pug jumped out the ground floor window and ran off to the tent Kakashi was still using as the Hokage office.

Kakashi lay down; he was exhausted. Sparring and being fucked twice was far more than he ever anticipating having to deal with. He didn’t question his own reactions: who was he to try and fight the man who routed the united shinobi forces and killed an immortal? And one could still feel pleasure even while being raped. Maybe not as readily, but if a pleasure spot is hit, it’s not his fault he got aroused. However, getting turned on by giving Sasuke a blow job? Twice? The weight of it on his tongue, the throbbing heat of it, and the exquisite texture. Even the taste was more than palatable. He rubbed his nearly dry hair. Whatever; it didn’t matter. At least he could find some enjoyment in the experience. Some? Damn, Sasuke never failed to make him cum.

Drained, physically and mentally, Kakashi slipped off his robe and curled up under the blanket, warm and safe despite the fact he knew there was nowhere he was safe from Sasuke. He didn’t let the sunlight stop him from slipping into a dreamless sleep.

Sakura was concerned to find him already asleep when she got home. She let him sleep. She came to bed after dinner and curled up behind him.


	5. The Price of a Gift

Construction began on the new Hokage tower. Kakashi would like having a window rather than sitting in this damn tent all day. He was also annoyed by his assistant. A genin. He did his job well enough, but Kakashi hated it. A genin. A constant reminder of his own failure with his genin. This boy was getting a D-rank mission credit for his help. The boy’s sensei was out on higher rank missions and his teammates were elsewhere helping out.

That was another thing Kakashi hated: this boy’s sensei was out on a mission; every Jounin and chunin was on missions unless they were _needed_ here at home. _He_ should be out there. His talents were wasted in this office. He was a shinobi damn it, not a bureaucrat. He actually prayed Sasuke would summon him for a fight.

“Deliver these orders.” Kakashi held out a stack of paper to the genin. “You can go home once you’re finished; no need to come back here.”

The boy bowed, thanked him, and ran out.

Kakashi rubbed his temples. He wanted everything just to go back three months. Just three months. If only Tsunade hadn’t stood up to Sasuke. She discovered the painful way that Sasuke had used his Sharingan to copy all of Kabuto’s techniques. He might not have had the absolute control of his chakra that medical-nins had, but with his speed and power he didn’t need it. He’d also read Kabuto and Orochimaru’s analysis of her and reports of their fights with her. He was prepared for her every move. He took her down with her own jutsu. He also killed the Raikage and the Tsuchikage. Anyone who dared raise a hand against him was put down, no matter what village they were from.

He threw Tsunade’s withered corpse at the shinobi who were forced to watch since they would only get in the way of a fight between a Kage and an Uchiha. Sasuke had looked . . . elated. It was almost like defeating her proved his own sense of superiority, like defeating a Kage made him feel alive.

_Why did he choose me?_

_Because he can manipulate you,_ he answered himself. _Because he knows how broken you are. Because you didn’t try to fight him. Because you surrendered to him. And he uses you because you already threw away your pride when you surrendered. Wasn’t that as much as a betrayal to the village and the shinobi forces? You wouldn’t fight him. He knew you would obey him._

He wanted to roar with frustration. _Kill him and you’ll be free. Free of him and free of your guilt. Why can’t you kill him?!_

He took a deep breath and try to pull himself out of the pit of self loathing he kept finding himself falling into. He should not be Hokage.

\-----

Kakashi tried to make it home every night to have dinner with Sakura. As time when on, she had fewer wounded that needed her and the more often she would come home regularly. Kakashi was not used to eating with someone else regularly, but he was getting used to it. He was even getting to use to keeping his mask down around someone else.

“None of my patients need me anymore,” Sakura announced as they began dinner. “They’ve all healed enough not to need extensive treatment. That means I can become your assistant now.”

“Afraid not. You’re too talented to keep here. I need you in the field. I’ll give you a few days off before putting you back on the active duty roster.”

“I’d prefer to stay here and help you,” she said, a little crestfallen.

“I’d like for you to stay but I need you in the field. I’d rather have someone useless in the field be my assistant.” Like that genin. “You’re medical talents are essential on missions.”

She nodded, unable to argue. She got up and bent down to hug him from behind, placing her cheek against his. “I love you. I want to help you.”

He caressed her arm. “I love you, but I can’t let you stay.”

“Alright, but let me act as your assistant for the next few days before you put me back on the roster.”

“If that’s how you want to spend your vacation.” At last there was some humor in his voice; he was sounding more like the sensei she missed. She wanted him to be happy. She had promised Sasuke that if he stayed she would make him happy, make every day fun, and not let him regret it. Sasuke didn’t take her up on that offer, but she was determined to do it for Kakashi. She loved him; they shared the same pain—or so she thought. She hugged him tighter.

“You’re all I have.”

Kakashi didn’t want to call her out on that, but he couldn’t stop a flash of anger at those words. She could never understand what it felt like to truly have nothing or close to nothing. She had much that he did not. She didn’t know what she was saying. She had everything he’d already lost. He and Sasuke. He didn’t like the momentary comradely with Sasuke.

“You are all I have left,” he said with more sincerity and more honestly. He didn’t even have his pride anymore.

\-----

Sasuke hadn’t visited Konoha since he came to give Kakashi the seal on his shoulder. But Sasuke was ever surprising him. It was morning when Sasuke appeared before his desk. Sasuke looked wide awake while Kakashi was still drowsy.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Kakashi asked.

“I have an order for you and I wanted to see what progress has been made.”

“Most of the village’s been rebuilt. I left the Hokage tower for last; it’s under construction now.”

Sasuke stepped out of the tent to look a look around. He was immediately set upon by two shinobi. Sasuke wasn’t fazed and put them both down using their own momentum.

“I thought you would have a better handle on you dogs,” Sasuke said to Kakashi who’d come out behind him. “Or are these standard orders?”

“I have no standing orders concerning you because I didn’t think you would come back here again.”

“I’m in a good mood so I won’t kill them.” Sasuke let them go. They ran off. “Not even worth the effort.” Sasuke looked over at the village then around at Kakashi’s tent. “Looks like the field headquarters of an army.” Sasuke seemed amused.

Kakashi watched Sasuke’s eyes as he looked over the village again from this hill. The skin around his eyes tightened. Sasuke was not pleased to see it. “At least it doesn’t look the same.” Sasuke turned to reenter the tent and Kakashi held the flap open for him.

“If that one, Yamato, can make buildings of wood so easily, why didn’t you make a more appropriate temporary office?”

“If Yamato’s going to build a permanent or semi-permanent building, I prefer it’s for the civilians.”

Sasuke didn’t look like he was listening. He took something out of his pocket. “Give these orders and money to whoever makes the best shinobi gear.” He threw a packet onto Kakashi’s desk. “Don’t look at them. Have them delivered to you and summon me when they’re done. Probably be best if you don’t say they’re from me. Tell them it’s for Sakura or something. I don’t want to have to search the damn things for poison needles or anything.”

“It will be done.”

“Is the memorial finished?”

“No. I will summon you when it is.”

“Very well. Facing any threats?”

“None. We’re just trying to earn revenue, so I have most of the shinobi off on missions.”

“Hmmm.”

“Bored?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t make me deal with it here.”

Kakashi put up his hands in a conciliatory manner. “Forgive me.”

Sasuke vanished.

Kakashi sat down and picked up the packet. Why did Sasuke want gear made? He got along quite well with a chest exposing shirt and purple bow.

Sakura arrived an hour later. “I checked on the hospital, the construction of the tower, and Itachi’s memorial. Everything is going well. What can I help with?”

He forgot how perky she could be. They never woke up at the same time, so he’d not seen her morning perkiness in a long time. Well, it hadn’t really been that long.

“I have another errand for you to run, unless you want to wait for the genin to arrive and let him do it.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Take this packet to Usami. Say it’s for me. There’s money and instructions in there. Ask him to have it ready ASAP.”

“May I ask?”

“Don’t tell anyone: they’re Sasuke’s requests. He doesn’t want his named mentioned so no one booby traps them. I don’t want him mentioned because if someone does try to assassinate Sasuke, it’s my head that will roll.”

“I won’t mention him.”

“Thank you.”

\-----

It was actually nice to have Sakura around. She tried to cheer him and her smile did lighten his mood. Between her and the genin, he was able to get his work done. The next few days were not quite hellish.

But then he was forced to send her out on missions. Maybe he was genuinely falling in love with her. He missed her.

It took a week for Usami to return Sasuke’s order to Kakashi.

“Some of my finest work,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“The dimensions didn’t seem to fit you, but I did as you instructed.”

“Thank you. I hope there was sufficient money.”

“More than enough.” He brought out a handful of money.

“Keep it,” Kakashi said. Let Sasuke’s money stay in Konoha.

Once the man left, he opened the scroll Sasuke’d given him and summoned the green sphere.

Sasuke arrived almost immediately.

“Your order,” Kakashi said, gesturing to the packet on the far side of his desk.

Sasuke opened them. There was a chair this time and he sat down. “Did you look at them?”

“No.”

“Good.” Sasuke examined the black vest with his Sharingan. “Perfect.” He checked the other two packets. He looked approving. He took the last article and tied it around his head. An eye patch for the left eye. Sasuke still had his Sharingan activated. “Works very well.” He took it off and threw it to Kakashi. “For you.” Kakashi looked questioningly at Sasuke.

“I want the challenge of your Sharingan when we spar without seeing it. It’s made of a mesh that should let you see perfectly while hiding that eye. You’ll wear it when we spar so keep it on you for when I summon you. Try it.”

Kakashi kept his left eye shut as he took off his headband and tried the eye patch on. He opened his eye and found his vision was nearly perfect.

“Will it do?” Sasuke asked.

“I think so.” Kakashi almost thanked him.

“I can’t see the damn thing, so I’m pleased.” He stood, picking up his own gear and the green sphere. “I have to deal with some of the other Kage or I’d test it out now.” And he was gone.

Kakashi touched the eye patch, feeling the mesh. He had to admit, he sort of liked it. But he took it off and put his headband back on.

\-----

Whatever business Sasuke had with the other Kage, was probably what caused Takamaru, Suna’s fastest messenger hawk, to arrive in Konoha.

A secret Kage meeting. Kakashi sighed. Did those fools really think anything could be kept secret from Sasuke? He put his head down on his desk. Oddly, he wasn’t frightened of Sasuke; definitely not frightened enough to blab to him. Sasuke would probably just rape him again anyway. He didn’t like his own reaction to that thought: a tingling in his back. He would go.

“I hate this job,” he mumbled.

The genin stopped sorting papers. “Huh?”

“Summon Shikaku and Hiashi. Is Sakura back?” Probably not or she’d be here.

“I did see her earlier, she said she’d be over once she looked in on Naruto-san.”

Kakashi couldn’t help the flash of jealousy. He knew it was sisterly concern for her friend and teammate, but she didn’t come to him first, but to Naruto. Sasuke had called him a replacement. Whatever.

“Then she’ll probably be here by the time those two arrive. Go on.”

With the elders dead, Kakashi had chosen Shikaku and Hiashi as his advisors. The ‘elders’ couldn’t be chosen as the Third had chosen his, his own teammates; Kakashi didn’t have any living. Shikaku and Hiashi were the most able and better candidates for Hokage. Sakura, as his lover, just needed to know his intentions. Sakura arrived first.

“How’s Naruto?” he asked without looking up from his work.

“No change. Whatever Sasuke did to him just won’t let up.”

“I didn’t think genjutsu could last this long without the caster doing it actively, but Madara’s Moon Eyes’ Plan would be similar. I don’t want to know what’s going in Naruto’s mind.”

The Shikaku and Hiashi arrived together with the genin.

“I have something to tell you four,” he said, including his genin assistant. “The Kazakage wants a secret Kage meeting. I’m going.”

“You should take a guard,” Hiashi said. “Two ANBU at the very least.”

“I want one or both of you to act as Hokage while I’m gone. I doubt you’ll have to deal with Sasuke, but it’s a possibility.”

They nodded.

“Sakura, you won’t be coming with me. Ritsu,” Kakashi said to the genin, “you’ll be helping Shikaku and Hiashi while I’m gone.”

“Understood.” The genin tried to look like a soldier receive important instructions. Sakura gave a small laugh.

“Are you sure about going?” Shikaku asked. “If Sasuke finds out . . .”

“We’re all technically still allied. I should go no matter what to preserve that alliance.” And if it pissed off Sasuke, all the better. He wasn’t some slave who’d lost all his pride. But then why did he feel like a kid taking pleasure in defying his parents. Not that he knew what that was like. “I’ll deal with Sasuke if he finds out.”

\-----

“His demands have been outrageous!” Hatori said. “He demands money and rations for his own forces from us!” Hatori was the new Tsuchikage, a rather young and spirited man. Sasuke had approved him, but he hadn’t chosen him as he had with Bee as the new Raikage and Kakashi as Hokage.

Kakashi remained silent. _Demands_? Sasuke never took anything. In fact he paid for the gear he ordered. And forces? Sasuke was completely alone in that fortress, Kakashi was sure of it. What forces did he need?

“He orders our forces spread thin,” Bee said. “He’s making sure we cannot strike against him without him noticing our moves beforehand.”

“But why is he stocking up? What could he be gathering his forces for?” Hatori demanded.

“Sasuke is practical,” Gaara said. “He must be anticipating an attack.”

“Kakashi,” Mei, the Mizukage, said, “have you nothing to say?”

“Sasuke hasn’t demanded anything of us. But then again, we’re still rebuilding; we have nothing to take.”

“It’s true that our villages weren’t directly attacked during the war,” Mei said. “I don’t think he’s showing a preference to his home village; he’s abandoned you.”

“Considering how much he hates us,” Kakashi said, “he’s been fair to Konoha.”

“He’s made no demands at all?” Hatori asked.

“Nothing except a memorial to his brother who killed their entire clan—except Sasuke—to avoid a civil war in Konoha. I agreed. It’s not much of an extra drain on our resources. And I feel sympathy for Itachi anyway.”

Hatori continued to complain about Sasuke’s predation. Kakashi didn’t even bother listening. They all let Hatori complain. Finally, Gaara took advantage of a pause in Hatori’s recitation.

“We need to discuss how to take Sasuke out.”

Kakashi’s skin puckered.

“With his Sasanoo and Amaterasu, he’s nearly invincible,” Kakashi said. “The initial rout was caused by confusion on our side, but then he took on and killed three Kage and defeated two very powerful Jinchûriki. I think the only reason he didn’t kill Bee and Naruto was because they are Jinchûriki.”

“But you were his sensei,” Hatori said, “surely you know enough about him to help us defeat him.”

“I was his sensei for less than a year; he was Orochimaru’s student for three. His motivations used to be very simple: kill Itachi. You could manipulate him easily—as Orochimaru showed—by playing on that one desire. Then it was to avenge his brother against Konoha. Why he attacked the allied forces? I don’t know. What he’s thinking now? I have no idea. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Does the Sharingan have a weak point?” Mei asked.

“Just the amount of chakra those jutsu use up and the toll it can take on the body, but Sasuke’s adapted to that and perfectly aware of his chakra. I’m sure he has something more powerful than soldier pills to give him a boost. However, the Sharingan is inferior to the Byakugan in two respects, it does not have 360 vision, he’s limited to a normal range of sight and though he can see chakra, he can’t see the chakra network. Yet, I should also warn you, he’s immune to most poisons and though he no longer has Orochimaru’s curse mark, he does still seem to have many snake jutsu.”

“You’re frightened of him,” Hatori said.

“Scared shitless,” Kakashi deadpanned. “Naruto, Suigetsu, and I are probably the only people who know him well at all, but I have no insight for you, Naruto’s in a coma, and Suigetsu’s on his side.”

“No, he isn’t,” Mei said.

“Huh?”

“Suigetsu’s given us what intelligence he can. We don’t entirely trust him, but we believe he’s betrayed Sasuke.”

“Huh.” _Then Sasuke is totally alone._ Kakashi felt sorry for his former student. _No, Sasuke brought it on himself. He isolated himself._ “He’s closer the to the man Sasuke is now, his intelligence is more important than anything I can tell you.”

They started to debate ways of defeating Sasuke’s ninjutsu and doujutsu. Kakashi made an effort to contribute, but he believed it was hopeless.

Then he felt a tingle in his right shoulder. He rolled it, uncomfortable with the feeling, but he thought nothing of it.

In fact, he didn’t have time to think about it as Sasuke appeared between and behind he and Gaara.

“Yo.”

Kakashi and Gaara sprang up and turned to face him.

“Nice to see the allied nations still getting along,” Sasuke said. His red eyes darted between them; they hesitated on Kakashi. “So, what are we discussing?”

Sasuke still hadn’t finished growing and was definitely the shortest man in the room, but his presence was heavy and nearly suffocatingly dark. One didn’t need to know who he was to cower before him. But the Kage stood firm.

Kakashi tried not to track the man with his eyes, but he saw one of the guards moving in behind Sasuke using a chameleon technique he well remembered. The Iwa shinobi struck, but Sasuke sidestepped and caught his arm. Everyone moved. Kakashi pushed up his headband then leaped up and attached to the ceiling while Gaara prepared his sand. The others all moved into position. Kakashi created his Chidori and before Sasuke could break the Iwa shinobi’s arm, Kakashi was diving toward him. Sasuke ducked him, grabbed his upper arm and kicked him in the stomach using chakra to repel him.

Kakashi moved in again, this time making use of the blind spot Gaara’s sand made which was also moving in. Sasuke jumped up to avoid his Chidori which he heard coming. As he leaped up, he spun and grabbed Kakashi’s right shoulder where his seal was. He gripped him tightly and shot Chidori into his arm intending to numb and disable Kakashi’s dominate arm. But as soon as the chakra touched the seal, Kakashi vanished. He appeared three feet in front of Sasuke. Touching the seal with chakra had activated the summoning jutsu. Their eyes met, both astonished to find that the seal had this little side effect.

Sasuke landed on the floor and pressed his body down to get leverage to kick Kakashi again. As he turned away from his fallen sensei, Sasuke let a dozen Chidori senbon hit many semi-vital points. Kakashi was temporarily paralyzed by numbness throughout his body.

Jutsu after jutsu was thrown at Sasuke. He dodged many of them, but finally he brought out Sasanoo to absorb the attacks. By then, Kakashi was back in the fight. Then the fight just ended. Everyone stopped attacking realizing they were running low on chakra and making no progress. Sasuke let his Sasanoo drop. He hid how much pain he was in and how drained, but Kakashi, who knew him and the Sharingan so well, could see it.

“I appreciate the sparing match,” Sasuke said. Only three guards were dead and most of the others and the Kage had minor wounds. Other than Sasanoo, Sasuke had barely put up a fight and he was completely uninjured. “No more secret meetings.” He turned to Kakashi. “I’ll _speak_ to you later about that eye.”

Kakashi had already closed it, but he now lowered his headband. Sasuke vanished and the other Kage looked at Kakashi, wondering what that last part meant. Kakashi decided to answer their unspoken question.

“He only allowed me to keep my Sharingan under the condition that I never let him see it again.”

A few of the Kage shivered, imagining having an eye taken out.

“We should all leave,” Gaara said. “He could have killed us all; we shouldn’t take advantage of his apathy.”

Apathy was a good word; Sasuke hardly cared. If it weren’t for the attack, Sasuke might have merely scolded them and left. There might still be hell to pay later.

\-----

Nothing happened while Kakashi was gone; he told Shikaku, Haishi, and Sakura what’d happened at the meeting.

“So with that seal you can ‘summon’ yourself to Sasuke’s location?” Hiashi asked.

“Yes. I think it was just a risk with this seal, not intentional. He was as shocked as I was. But I’m more concerned about the fallout from our ‘secret’ meeting. Sasuke’s not going to let this slide completely; I expect to be summoned anytime.”

“But if Sasuke is alone up there as you say, what is he doing demanding supplies from the other villages?” Shikaku asked.

“I don’t know. I sense no other presence or chakra up there, not even residual.” He inwardly winced; he gave away more than he wanted.

“None? None at all. Are you the only one he summons?”

“I am. I think he chose me because I’m a match for him when sparing. I’m the only other one who’s been up there at least since Madara and his allies were killed.”

Kakashi saw the slightest doubt entering into their minds. Kakashi was the only Sasuke trusted in his home. Kakashi was his former sensei. Kakashi had surrendered to him. Sasuke made Kakashi Hokage. They wondered if Kakashi might be an ally of Sasuke’s. But then again, Kakashi returned from Sasuke’s fortress pretty beat up and their village had not been harassed or made to provide Sasuke with anything. Well, nothing they knew about and nothing that wasn’t paid for. And they didn’t know about the money Sasuke had given them early on.

“Sasuke doesn’t have troops in that fortress, of that I’m sure. Sakura, light a fire under the people building Itachi’s memorial. I’m in deep shit right now with Sasuke, no matter how apathetic he was. I want something to cool his temper.” Kakashi rubbed the metal of his headband over his Sharingan eye.

“I’ll go now.” Sakura knew Kakashi’s eye was at stake.

\-----

Two days later and no word from Sasuke. The memorial was nearly finished, but not yet. Kakashi was on his way home when Sasuke summoned him.

Sasuke was perched on his bed, leaning on his sheathed sword in front of him. “A secret meeting?” Sasuke asked without any preamble.

“I was invited. Still being allied, I had little choice. You never ordered me to report such things to you, so I don’t think you can really accuse me of betrayal.”

“You attacked me,” Sasuke accused.

“I’m afraid I’m more loyal to the allied forces than to you. You’ve never exactly courted my loyalty; anyone’s loyalty.”

Sasuke scowled ever so slightly. “Your shoulder. You can summon yourself to me. That was not intended.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Try it.”

Kakashi found himself in the throne room. He touched the seal with chakra and reappeared before Sasuke.

“I thought I researched that seal thoroughly,” Sasuke said. “Can’t be helped.” He shrugged it off. “Now, about your eye.”

Kakashi felt a chill he was beginning to associate with Sasuke. At least Sasuke didn’t look enraged, rather he looked mischievous. That wasn’t any better as far as Kakashi was concerned. He wanted to back away when Sasuke approached him. Sasuke violently pulled Kakashi’s headband away and threw it to the side. Kakashi kept that eye closed. Sasuke caressed the scar.

“I warned you. I never wanted to see that abomination again or I would pluck it out.” Sasuke’s fingers turned into claws, Kakashi could feel his nails against his eyebrow and the side of his eye. He closed his other eye as well and waited for Sasuke to claw it out. He controlled his breathing, ready for the pain. But it never came. Five full seconds and neither of them moved. Sasuke took his hand away.

Kakashi opened his normal eye.

“You were prepared to face the consequences without argument. I knew you’d be stoic about it; you were the first time. The heart attack is almost enough, I think.”

Kakashi could breathe easy again.

“Almost.”

That clawed hand was back and it gripped his white hair, pulling him forward, throwing him onto the bed. Before he could move from his position on his hands and knees, Sasuke’s body covered him.

“I want you on your knees this time,” Sasuke said. “Strip.”

Kakashi could feel Sasuke doing the same behind him. He complied; it wasn’t like he was new to this. Sasuke, already naked, decided to help Kakashi along, pulling at his pants, leaving him in boxers. Sasuke nude body covered his. He gave the part of the seal that crept over his shoulder onto his back a small lick as his hand snaked down into Kakashi’s boxers. Kakashi was ashamed that he was already getting hard. Sasuke’s pleased hum made both situations worse.

“Take them off,” Sasuke said and his hand disappeared to lube himself up. He shoved two lubed fingers inside him. One of his nails scratched him making Kakashi hiss along with the sting of penetration. Sasuke wasn’t scissoring him, not trying to stretch him, he was just fingering him. Sasuke withdrew and prepared to mount with no further prep. Kakashi leaned down on his elbows and Sasuke pressed in, bracing himself with one hand on the bed, the other pulling Kakashi’s hip back to meet him. It didn’t sting quite so bad after the sudden thrust of his fingers, but it was still a struggle to accept him. At least Sasuke went slowly. It took some time for him to feel Sasuke’s balls against his own. He sighed at the touch.

Sasuke was growing though he would never be as tall as Kakashi’s six feet, but he yanked on Kakashi’s hair to force him to bend backward to bring his face closer as he leaned over him. Sasuke put his lips to the side of his left eye. Kakashi kept that eye shut. Sasuke’s breath teased his eyelashes. Kakashi shut his eye tighter. Sasuke pulled his head back even more, pressing his hips harder into his and managed to touch his upper teeth gently to his eyelid. Kakashi tried to shrink away, but Sasuke had a firm grip in his hair.

“By rights, that eye belongs to me,” Sasuke whispered against the organ in question. He licked at the scared lid. “I should rip it out. I could skull fuck you then.”

Kakashi knew he was bluffing, but he blushed and tried to turn his face away. He was aroused, but wanted to get away.

“It would be a shame to give you that eye patch and never be able to use it. Consider my letting you keep it another gift.” Sasuke kissed the side of his eye. Sasuke pushed Kakashi’s head forward again and let go of his hair. He raked his teeth down his shoulder blade as he pulled all the way out. The claws were back, scraping down Kakashi’s pale ass leaving six red scratches.

Sasuke eased back in, faster this time. Kakashi couldn’t stop a groan. Damn, he wanted it. But Sasuke wasn’t moving. Kakashi would _not_ beg or even press back, at least not yet. Sasuke respected that and started to thrust into him. Kakashi moaned.

“You love it, don’t you, sensei?”

Kakashi grimaced, but wouldn’t answer.

Sasuke sped up his thrusts and leaned down, laying his cheek on Kakashi’s back. Kakashi liked the feeling of Sasuke laying on him. He could almost completely enjoy this.

Sasuke leaned back again to rack his fingernails down his back, hard. Red welts grew. Sasuke retraced them, making them sting more and summoning more blood to the surface. A third time and he drew blood. A forth and he opened up six sanguine channels. It hurt far more than a kunai cut and Kakashi hissed with every scratch. He groaned in pain when Sasuke bent down to lick up the blood. His hot, rough tongue and saliva burned. Sasuke pulled out of him completely to lick at the blood more easily. He continued to tear at his flesh, smearing the blood over more of his back.

Having gotten his fill of blood, Sasuke mounted him again. He leaned forward again, pressing his abdomen, with traces of salty sweat on it, against the open wounds.

“Ahh,” Kakashi let out.

Sasuke ran his hands through the rivulets of blood and smeared it onto Kakashi’s abdomen and even on Kakashi’s cock as he started to jerk him. That caused Kakashi’s body to tighten around him. Sasuke groaned and his teeth scrapped Kakashi’s skin, not able to find purchase on the flat plane of the skin before him.

Kakashi couldn’t take the double assault of Sasuke’s hand and cock anymore and let his orgasm rip through him. Another few thrusts and Sasuke cam deep inside him. Kakashi rested his head on the pillow panting.

Sasuke didn’t remove his partially deflated length, rather he pressed his hips firmly against Kakashi’s body. He purred like a demonic cat and lapped at the blood on Kakashi’s back.

“I think that’s going to scar.”

Kakashi didn’t have the energy to glare or even move his eyes.

Sasuke reached around to put the fingers he stuck in him to Kakashi’s lips. Most of the soiled lube had rubbed off on his skin and the bedding, but these fingers has just been in his ass. He did like the feeling of fingers on his sex bloated lips though. Sasuke pressed harder and Kakashi opened his mouth. He didn’t taste what he expected, rather he tasted strawberry. Strawberry flavored lube. It wasn’t his favorite flavor, but he licked and sucked at the fingers, sucked off all the lube. Kakashi felt Sasuke grow within him again as his body had already began to tighten up again.

“You’d be amazed what flavors they make this stuff in. I imagine the cinnamon burns and the mint must freeze and burn at the same time. Maybe next time.”

Kakashi shivered. He shivered even more when Sasuke peeled away and pressed his fingers to the base of Kakashi’s spine. Chakra shot inside, the eclectic feeling filling his body. It felt so good and his limp manhood began to grow. Sasuke wanted him to enjoy it, Kakashi knew it. Sasuke wanted him to beg and admit how much he enjoyed it. Kakashi pressed his lips together and solidified his thigh muscles to keep from moving. But he wanted to, he wanted to rock back and take Sasuke even deeper. The vestiges of his pride would not allow it.

Sasuke smirked as if he could read his former sensei’s mind. Sasuke pulled out just to thrust back in. The pleasure was pressed up his spine. Sasuke stretched his body as much as possible to press his lips to Kakashi’s neck. He purred. The vibrations emanated strongly from Sasuke’s chest, but his lips vibrated against Kakashi’s neck. Sasuke had gone from wanting to inflict pain and mark him to giving pleasure. It was amazing how much pleasure could be a form of control and dominance. But Kakashi had felt that before as he knelt on Sasuke’s shower floor, sucking his erection, and looking up at Sasuke’s pleasure warped face.

Getting nothing but shivers, Sasuke gave up and fucked him. But that did it. Kakashi grunted and moaned, but he wouldn’t give in and ask him to go faster or pound him harder or press back. He clamped his teeth together, leaned his head down, and groaned into the pillow.

Sasuke trailed his fingers through the blood still seeping from the wounds. He reached for Kakashi’s mouth. Kakashi obediently turned his head and sucked the bloody fingers into his mouth.

When his fingers were clean, Sasuke pulled Kakashi up against him by the throat, rocking back onto his hams, and stopped moving.

“All you need to do is ask,” Sasuke purred. “Ask,” he repeated when Kakashi said nothing. Kakashi panted. He was so close. He kept his eyes shut, trying to reign in his lust. Sasuke pressed his lips to his neck and they fluttered there when he repeated, “Ask.”

“No.”

“You’re stronger than I thought. Fine.” He pressed Kakashi back down and fucked him hard. They cam together.

Sasuke threw himself onto the bed. “Clean yourself up when you feel up to it.”

Kakashi rolled away from Sasuke and settled on his back to regain his breath.

“You knew my brother,” Sasuke said when Kakashi lay next him without speaking, though there was about two feet between them on the very large bed.

Kakashi was shocked at the sudden conversation and it’s subject. “Not well.”

“ANBU.”

“Yeah. He kept to himself. I didn’t know him. I rarely saw him without his bird mask.”

“You had a dog mask.” Kakashi looked over him. _How did he know?_ Sasuke didn’t look at him, but continued to stare at the ceiling with hooded eyes. He felt the question though. “Iruka dragged me aside once and showed me a picture of you with your hounds. A dog, right?”

“Yeah.” He remembered that picture being taken. It was foolish thing a bunch of the members of ANBU did once sort of as a way to show off. It was almost enough to make him laugh, but his mouth remained in a straight line. “We could choose the animal. Mine was a dog with red highlights. Your brother’s was a bird with purple highlights.”

“I remember.”

Neither said any more. After a few silent minutes, Kakashi got up to take a shower. He dried and went back to the now completely dark bedroom; Sasuke had evidently turned out the lights. The only light was what came from the bathroom and Kakashi left it on to dress. Dressed, he expected Sasuke to automatically send him home or to ask him if he was ready, but there was nothing. He moved closer to Sasuke and realized Sasuke was asleep.

Sasuke didn’t look innocent like this; his brow seemed set in a permanent scowl and his eyes hard. But he looked far less threatening. And lovely. He’d squirmed under the blanket so that only his hands, shoulders, and head peeked out. One hand was level with his eyes while the other was thrown over his head carelessly. Did he really trust Kakashi so much to fall asleep while he was there?

Kakashi wanted to go home, but he didn’t want to wake him, yet he should have been thinking about murdering him. “Sasuke?” he whispered, resigned to wait a while if Sasuke didn’t wake up. But it was enough to wake the experienced shinobi.

“Ready?” Sasuke asked sleepily. Kakashi nodded. “Should probably send you to the hospital. You don’t want Sakura to see that, do you?” Kakashi had to agree. He had created a clone to carefully wash his back and had seen how bad it was.

Sasuke didn’t wait for an answer. Kakashi found himself in front of the rebuilt Konoha hospital. Kakashi went in and asked for Shizune.

“She’s already gone home, Hokage-sama.”

“Where does she live?”

The receptionist gave him the address and he went looking for her. As Hokage, he was somewhat familiar with the new layout of the streets even if he didn’t walk the streets anymore. He found the address.

It wasn’t very late and she was still awake.

“Do you have a minute?” he asked.

She nodded and let him in. She was alone.

“I need you to heal my back. I don’t want Sakura to see it.” He took off his shirt and rolled up his tighter undershirt to coil around his neck to keep his mask on.

Shizune gasped. “What happened?”

“Sasuke.”

She went to gather herbs to fight infection, a basin of water, stitches, and bandages. She cleaned the cuts and spread the herbal paste into the open wounds. Kakashi suppressed a hiss. She let the herbs sit to do their work, then cleaned them from the wounds. She prepared the needle.

“I’m afraid I don’t have any anesthetic.”

“That’s fine.”

She hesitated before starting the stitches. Kakashi was ready for it and took it. With the wounds held closed, she started using her healing chakra.

“You might have some scars, but they’ll just be some thin lines.”

Kakashi nodded.

She finished. She ran her finger down the lines and the two lines on either side that were merely welts. His skin crawled.

“What did he do?”

“Are you finished?” he diverted her question.

“I need to wrap them for now.” She wrapped him up. “Have you become Konoha’s whipping boy?”

“Sort of.”

“Do you have any other injuries?” she asked with the most delicate tone. She knew.

“I’m fine.”

“Sakura doesn’t know?”

“No. I don’t want her to.”

“I won’t say anything. I’m so sorry, Kakashi.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But you’re taking his rage toward us all on yourself. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

She helped him roll his tight shirt down over the bandages, but it hurt too much. He pulled it back up to his neck.

“Do you have a scarf I can borrow?”

She brought it to him and she turned her back as he stripped off the shirt/mask and wrapped the scarf around his face. He put his outer shirt back on.

“Thank you,” he repeated as he left.

Sakura was asleep when he came home; she was even less disciplined than Sasuke. He stripped again and put on a nightshirt more to hide the bandages than anything else. He eased his way into bed.

He wondered—perhaps a little egotistically—why she wasn’t waiting up for him, worried that he hadn’t come home? Perhaps she merely thought he was working late and decided not to disturb him. Had he been working late, he would have appreciated her coming to help him. Wasn’t she even concerned about the fact Kakashi might lose his eye if Sasuke called on him again?

He rubbed at his borrowed eye as he sat there. He ran his finger down the scar. The memory of Sasuke touching and licking the scar make his skin pucker. He opened it. There was nothing really for that eye to see, just the chakra of the ANBU who were positioned around and throughout the building. How pointless. The only threat to his safety was probably Sasuke and they couldn’t protect their Hokage from him.

He pushed all those thoughts away and lay down with his back to Sakura. He wouldn’t tell her anything unless she asked. He doubted she would.


	6. Still Human After All

Shizune was definitely right: Sasuke had done nothing to punish the village he so clearly loathed, yet their sparring sessions did lack a degree of control; Sasuke was careful not kill him, but Kakashi always—always—came home with something bleeding or broken. Even with a scratched up back, Sasuke summoned him to fight the very next day.

He went to Shizune again to have his back treated to make the scars as small as possible and for some extra padding in case Sasuke insisted on aiming for his back again. And he gave her back her scarf. Sakura still didn’t suspect that Sasuke had taken his revenge and especially what form that revenge took.

Keeping Sakura from finding out about the bandages meant no sex, but Kakashi had plenty of that recently. Kakashi knew he was being petulant, but he really didn’t care. He wouldn’t tell Sakura anything or even let her see that his back was bandaged.

However, brushing Sakura off for an extended amount of time, even after his back was healed with nothing but six thin white lines, even he was getting a case of blue balls.

The Hokage tower was finally finished and two days after that the memorial was finished. Kakashi inspected it and approved. He hoped Sasuke would like it. He took out the scroll and summoned Sasuke. The green sphere appeared. It was quite beautiful actually. He remembered that Sasuke said it could take days or weeks for Sasuke to notice he was being summoned. Kakashi worked as he waited in his new office. Sasuke arrived after sunset.

“Took long enough,” Sasuke said as he looked around. “I would think erecting the tower first would help more with moral.”

“The memorial is also finished.”

That took the sardonic look from Sasuke’s face. “Show me.”

Kakashi escorted him through the tower and out the back toward the cliff. They could both feel ANBU surrounding them, waiting for an opportunity to strike at Sasuke. Kakashi gave them a signal to leave them once they were outside.

Sasuke was surprised by the memorial. He’d expected a simple carving into the base of the cliff, but this was a plaza. No wonder it took so freaking long. It was a spacious park with cherry trees not yet in bloom. It was lovely. Carved into the cliff was the actual memorial flanked by a pair of lit torches. It was a large bird perched on a stone tablet in front of a sun with its wings out more like a phoenix than a raven.

“We thought the raven would be appropriate,” Kakashi said. “It was his summon and though they are thought to bring death, as a good shinobi does, it’s also thought to be a guide* and represent intelligence and cunning. I hope you approve. If you don’t, we can change it.”

Sasuke looked down at the tablet. The ANBU symbol was at the top rather than the Konoha leaf then his brother’s name and underneath: _Dedicated to Uchiha Itachi and all those who exist always in the shadows and sacrifice everything to preserve peace._

Sasuke nodded to Kakashi. “Leave me.”

Kakashi obeyed. He was still walking when he heard Sasuke’s voice. “Just how disappointed are you in me?” Kakashi focused on his hearing as he moved a few more feet away, but Sasuke was silent. He stopped at a railing and leaned against it. He turned to look at Sasuke out of the corner of his normal eye. Sasuke was just looking at the memorial. Kakashi wanted to ask him where his brother’s body was, but was sure that if Sasuke knew or if it wasn’t cremated, the memorial would be there or the body here.

Kakashi looked away and then heard Sasuke’s voice once more.

“You hate me now, don’t you? Everyone does. That doesn’t that bother me. I wonder if it ever bothered you.”

Sasuke was doing it again, reminding Kakashi of himself. Kakashi still visited the shinobi memorial to speak with Obito and the rest of his team. He asked similar questions. What did they think of him now?

Kakashi was still musing when Sasuke came up to him. He was a little shocked to see that the rims of Sasuke’s eyes were red. He’d forgotten that the root of all Sasuke’s rage and revenge was love, love for his brother. The measure of his rage had been a measure of how much Sasuke had loved Itachi. It shouldn’t surprise him that Sasuke had been crying in front of his brother’s memorial. Sasuke refused to look at him straight on, but kept his face turned to the side.

“Thank you, it’s lovely. I think Itachi would have liked it.” Sasuke vanished.

Kakashi went back to the memorial itself and looked at the ground where Sasuke stood. Teardrops. So the bastard could still feel.

\-----

“Did Sasuke like it?” Sakura asked when Kakashi came home.

“Yes. Maybe he’ll leave everyone alone for a while.”

“Did he say anything about your eye? Anything about the Kage meeting?”

“Humph. He did that a week ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“You were asleep.”

“What?”

“No one seemed to notice I was gone for a few hours. You were asleep and I saw no reason to wake you.”

She held her breath for a moment. “You’re eye?”

“It’s still there.” He never had any reason to open the eye so she would not have seen it. “He took some revenge though.”

“What did he do?”

“The wounds have healed, doesn’t matter.”

“I should have noticed.”

 _Yeah, you should have,_ he thought. But he wasn’t feeling as petulant anymore; she felt bad enough. “It’s fine. There was nothing you could do. Sasuke’s content, that’s all that matters now.”

They got into bed and neither fell asleep. _Damn, this is awkward,_ Kakashi thought. He sighed. “Sasuke prepared to claw out my eye, but since I didn’t protest, he let me keep it. That’s all.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thank you.”

Sakura turned and curled around his arm. She kissed the ANBU tattoo on his left bicep. Why the fuck not? As a small part of him had hoped Sasuke might ‘thank’ him, he might as well indulge Sakura and himself.

Even without his experiences with Sasuke, sex with Sakura was pretty boring. She wasn’t a virgin and he often wondered—as he did with Sasuke—who had taken his student’s virginity. But he didn’t ask. Though, just because she wasn’t ‘intact’ didn’t mean she wasn’t a virgin; just the physical activity of being a shinobi was enough to tear a virgin. He didn’t like to think that he’d taken her as a virgin.

She wasn’t adventurous at all. Missionary, only missionary. And no matter how many times he gave her oral, she never reciprocated. Boring, though enough to satisfy him. Enough to fall asleep easily afterward.

But in his dreams, he felt a presence hovering over his back and someone breathing over his shoulder as he lay on his stomach.

He couldn’t help asking Sakura the next day if he spoke in his sleep.

“No, not that I’ve ever heard.”

“Good..”

“May I ask?”

“No.”

\-----

Whatever reprieve he might have expected from Sasuke didn’t happen. Sasuke was more violent than ever before. Kakashi tried to hide it from Sakura; he didn’t want her worrying over him. Not that she had any great burdens like he did; he just couldn’t stomach her sympathy.

As it was, a vicious series of hits to his abdomen the day after Sasuke visited the memorial for the first time were making it hard for him to keep any food down. He was concerned when a day later he was still running off to vomit after every meal. It was like his insides were tightening up. It annoyed him how often he had to pull his damn mask down. But he was never so relieved to have it than now to hide behind. And not just the wounds.

He rinsed out his mouth and his lips. He looked into the mirror. The bruise on his cheek had become a brownish yellow, but he was nursing new wounds from the morning which left him with a fractured arm among other lesser wounds. He looked—and felt—like an abused wife. He leaned down to support himself on his elbows on the sink; all he could see was his normal eye and headband in the bottom of the mirror. He tore off the headband and threw it aside. He opened his mismatched eyes.

One reason he kept Obito’s eye covered was that it had the same habit as Obito; it teared up whenever he felt any pain or sadness. His normal eye was trained to never show such emotion, but Obito’s eye was too much like it’s original owner. Tears were running out of just that eye. How long would this last? Hiding it from Sakura made it worse. It was like another shameful secret haunting him.

Sakura wasn’t oblivious to his depression and the fact he stopped taking his mask off at all, just pulling it down between bites during meals. She tried to be upbeat, but felt she was only succeeding in being annoying.

“Maybe you should summon Pakkun and the others and spend some time with them,” she suggested. “I haven’t seen Pakkun in a long time.”

“I summon them when you’re on missions.” She was offended by that. “Keeps me from being lonely while you’re gone.” That made her feel a lot better. He did value her after all.

“Is there anything I can do to help? I really rather help you than go on missions.”

“There’s nothing.”

“Is it Sasuke?”

“It’s always Sasuke.”

“I thought he’d leave you alone once the memorial was built.”

“So did I.”

The conversation was going nowhere. Kakashi really had lost all that jaunty humor and his laid back persona, but she still loved him. She loved him more in fact. She was just frustrated that she could do nothing at all to help him. She wondered if she was making things worse by being a reminder of happier days. Sakura liked that about Kakashi, but he didn’t seem to ever be reminded of those days, or if he did, they didn’t make him happy, just sadder. She was overwhelmed by the same feeling she had nearly a year ago; she was certain she was capable of saving everyone so much misery if she just killed Sasuke. But she knew she was powerless against him. She was useless.

Kakashi went back to his office. He was spending a lot more time in there and away from her.

\-----

The next night, Gai barged into the Hokage office and was about to speak when he realized Kakashi was asleep in his chair. He might have just left him to sleep, but he saw a bruise peeking out above Kakashi’s mask. Having arrested his attention, Gai then saw lumps under the mask on his neck. Bandages.

“Kak—”

An ANBU appeared and put a hand over Gai’s mouth. “Let him sleep.”

The ANBU took his hand away and Gai asked softly, “What happened?” Kakashi shifted slightly as he slept.

The ANBU led Gai out of the room. “He was summoned by Sasuke again today, three days in a row. He’s says he’s alright, that they’ll all superficial wounds, but he summoned Shizune-san. He’s exhausted and on painkillers; that’s why he didn’t wake up when you entered.”

“Shouldn’t he sleep properly then, in bed?”

“He doesn’t want Sakura to see the wounds. He’s determined to sleep in his office until wounds heal a bit. He keeps saying that, but he keeps acquiring new wounds.”

“What did Sasuke do to him?”

“He said they sparred and Sasuke does not go easy on him.”

“I don’t like this at all.”

“No one does. But Kakashi is probably the only person keeping Sasuke away from us. I understand he does not mettle as much with us as he does the other villages. Kakashi is holding him off. All we can do is support him. And let him sleep.”

“Hai.”

\-----

Kakashi still looked a little doped when Gai returned to Kakashi’s office the next day. Even his wild straw-like hair seemed to be sagging. He didn’t look well at all.

“I was told you visited last night,” Kakashi said.

“Are you really alright?”

Kakashi rubbed at a very slight discomfort in his right shoulder. “Sasuke doesn’t hold back. I got a good dose of my own Chidori. He’s careful not to injure me too badly; he doesn’t want me dead.” Kakashi fell into a musing tone. “He spared our lives—Sakura, Naruto, and I—but not out of mercy; he did it to make us suffer. I don’t really understand it. Why us? We had nothing to do with Itachi. We never did anything to harm or offend him while he was with us. I don’t understand it. He admitted Naruto was a friend and thanked Sakura sincerely before he left. Why does he hate us?”

“I think he’s gone insane,” Gai said, more serious than normal. “All this with Itachi . . .”

“He seems sane. I deal with him more than anyone else. I think he’s sane. He’s just so full of resentment. You know, he’s all alone up there. I’ve never seen a single person in that fortress. He’s locked himself away.”

“You sound sorry for him.”

“He’s was still my student. Imagine if it were Lee.”

Gai nodded. “I can understand that.”

“My greatest failure. I didn’t try hard enough to sway him from his path of revenge. Itachi didn’t make it easy. All I wanted was to save Sasuke. Not train Naruto and Sakura, but to train and save Sasuke.”

“You did teach him your one original technique. Lee is like a son to me; Sasuke was the same for you.”

“Yes. I loved him nearly as much as you love Lee. But now?” Kakashi shook his head. “I don’t want to think of Sasuke when I’m not summoned by him.”

“Right.”

“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“I just haven’t seen you since you all came home.”

That’s right, Gai hadn’t been captured. He wasn’t sure if Gai had ran off or just came home when everything was over managing to avoid death and surrender. What did it matter?

“I thought you must be working yourself to death or just bored stuck in this tower all the time. I thought we should have a little contest.”

“Ah. I should go outside I suppose. I go for a run with my pack once, maybe twice, a week, but I don’t leave besides that. That and Sasuke. But I’m sure you would win any contest. I accept. But not today.”

“Let me know when, I’m always up for it!” Gai announced in his accustomed cheer.

How could he and Sakura be cheerful? Right, no Sasuke pulling their strings. He couldn’t stop the bitterness. He hated them all. He hated the village he was shielding.

But was he really? Sasuke never threatened the village or anyone in it. That didn’t change the fact he was a whipping boy. Could anyone blame him if he ran away? Yes, they would. But he could never be free of Sasuke. Even if he burned away this seal on his shoulder, Sasuke could use that time/space jutsu to find him and haul him back.

But then Kakashi wondered if that was what Sasuke wanted. Was he trying to make Kakashi hate Konoha as much as he did? It was certainly possible; the Uchiha were known for psychological torture. He wouldn’t past Sasuke.

“Maybe tomorrow.”

Gai nodded. “We all support you, Lord Hokage,” he said seriously.

“Thank you.”

\-----

Kakashi had had enough. Sasuke summoned him straight to his training room again, but Kakashi refused change to his eye patch or take a defense or attack posture.

“No, Sasuke. I won’t fight.”

Sasuke hard eyes softened a bit and he sheathed his sword. “If not a fight . . .”

Sasuke closed on him. That was fine, let Sasuke rape him. It didn’t hurt very much anymore and, quite frankly, he was coming to desire it. He wouldn’t let Sakura see his injuries so he hadn’t had sex in a while. Sasuke kissed him and he allowed it, but made no effort to encourage him. Then Sasuke pulled him along to his bedroom.

Kakashi lay down and was determined to just lie there and let Sasuke do what he wanted. Sasuke didn’t seem put off by the idea. He left the lights on. Kakashi shut his eyes.

Sasuke pulled away the simple civilian shirt and started rolling up his shirt/mask then suddenly stopped. Kakashi opened his eyes wondering why Sasuke had stopped. He was staring at his abdomen.

“I didn’t realize your injuries were this bad.”

“You can hear and feel when you break my bones, but you’re put off by the bruises?”

“I really didn’t realize. You know, I do expect more fight from you. Why don’t you defend yourself better?”

“As if this is my fault.”

Sasuke was silent as he pulled the shirt/mask back down. He turned to sit with his back to Kakashi. “I ordered that memorial built because I wanted to rub Konoha’s nose in the fact their leaders forced a child to slaughter one of its own clans. I wanted them all to know. It wasn’t for me. But I loved my brother. He was my world. I loved him even more than my mother. When I see that memorial, I think about him and it hurts. My grief comes back and I’m filled with rage again. I hate that village. _Hokage_.

“Get up; I’ll send you home.”

He sent Kakashi to him rooms in the Hokage tower rather than his office. Kakashi was stunned. Sasuke was . . . contrite. That had been as good as an apology.

\-----

Two weeks of no summonses and Kakashi finally healed. After that, Sasuke eased off him; not summoning him as often and not beating him quite so brutally. The fact Sasuke all but apologized lifted Kakashi’s spirits and he put a little more effort into their sparring matches. But they had yet to have sex since Sasuke shredded his back. Until a sudden summon late one morning.

“I don’t have much time,” Sasuke said to him the moment he appeared before him.

Kakashi realized that they were in the throne room, not the bedroom, but he knew from Sasuke’s statement that he was there for only one thing. Sasuke got behind him and pushed him forward against the seat of the throne.

“It’s been a while,” Sasuke said as he bent over Kakashi, grabbing his crotch and pleased to feel through his pants that he was getting hard. Sasuke straightened and Kakashi heard the swish of Sasuke’s belt and the fall of his clothes to the floor. Then Sasuke started pulling at his clothes.

Quick prep and Sasuke was inside of him. Kakashi braced himself with his arms and his head against his arms.

Sasuke pushed Kakashi’s shirt/mask up to expose his back. He saw the ends of the thin scars he’d left as he did so. He ran his fingers down what he could see of the scars.

Sasuke paused. “Nice work. Almost invisible. Sakura?”

“Shizune.”

“The one glaring at me when I tossed the last Hokage down that hill? I’m impressed. You stopped her from attacking me.”

“I didn’t want her to get killed too.”

“Hmmm, noble.” Sasuke started moving again. Now that Sasuke felt he broke Kakashi back in with his slower pace, he proved he was in a rush and sped up. At least Sasuke was somewhat affectionate, laying over him and feeling up his abdomen. It felt good.

Sasuke pushed Kakashi’s clothes further up to rub his cheek into Kakashi’s skin and he rubbed his exposed and masked body. Kakashi groaned when Sasuke’s thrust made him see stars.

“Don’t cum. You do and you’re licking it off the floor.”

Kakashi feared Sasuke was serious and that it meant he was to send him home with a wicked hard on. However, the idea of licking his own cum off the floor in front of Sasuke almost made Kakashi cum; reverting just a little to his old perverted self. As good as it might feel to call his bluff, he judged it better to hold off. And he was right.

Sasuke’s thrusts came faster and harder and his hold on Kakashi’s body grew stronger. As far as Kakashi knew, they were alone in this fortress, but Sasuke bit back a cry and grunted as he cam inside his former sensei. Sasuke pulled out.

“Tighten up, stand up, and turn around,” Sasuke ordered in a breathless voice.

Kakashi obeyed and was shocked when Sasuke dropped to his knees and took Kakashi’s leaking erection into his mouth. Kakashi reached back to grab the armrests of the throne to support himself. All too quickly, Kakashi struggled to say, “Sasuke, I’m . . .” Sasuke sucked harder and looked up into Kakashi’s eyes. His eyes were flirtatious and challenging. Kakashi couldn’t hold back any further. Sasuke swallowed every drop. He gave Kakashi’s cock one long final suck from root to tip, his lips giving off an audible smack as they slid off the head.

“Now hurry and get dressed,” Sasuke said as he stood and started pulling up and adjusting his clothing. “I’ve got work to do. I’ve got to deal with the Raikage and I don’t want to deal with him while I have an erection or cum on my floor. Don’t care if he smells sex though; might throw him off balance a bit.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Kakashi was shocked by his own words, but they didn’t faze Sasuke.

“No, I can handle the Jinchûriki.”

Clothes back in their proper place, Kakashi was sent back to his office. Kakashi wondered, first off, why Sasuke was bringing Killer Bee to his fortress? Then why the hell Kakashi was concerned enough to ask if Sasuke wanted backup? Then lastly, he wondered about Sasuke sucking him off. That was the first time he’d done it and it almost seemed like Sasuke had enjoyed it.

\-----

Whatever passed between Sasuke and Killer Bee was not so serious for Kakashi to hear of it. He was tempted to contact the Jinchûriki to try and weasel out what had happened.

A few nights later he was having sex with Sakura. He ate her out and made love to her through two orgasms to his one.

Afterward, he slipped on his boxers and settled down to sleep. He just fell asleep when he fell to the floor as if the bed had been pulled from beneath him. He hit the ground hard. As soon as he opened his eye, he knew he was in Sasuke’s bedroom. He sat up. Sasuke was sitting at the foot of his bed fully clothed with his legs crossed looking down at him. He was as unreadable as always.

“Yo.”

Kakashi didn’t like how Sasuke had appropriated his own greeting; he’d used it before and it annoyed him. He stood.

“Since you’re already dressed down . . .” Sasuke suddenly appeared behind him. He pressed Kakashi forward onto the bed. Sasuke started to strip. It was obvious he had planned to do this from the moment he decided to bring him here no matter Kakashi’s state of dress, but Sasuke was fully clothed. Kakashi knew a show of dominance when he saw one. Kakashi couldn’t help watching as Sasuke stripped in front of him nor could he help the lustful look in his eyes.

Sasuke got on the bed and herded him to lay the way he wanted. He sniffed at Kakashi’s face then he moved to pull the boxers down and off. He hovered over Kakashi’s hips, lowering his face to Kakashi’s cock.

“I smell her on you. Did I interrupt something?”

“No.”

Sasuke hummed with amusement. He took a deep breath through his nose as if admiring a fine glass of wine, then took Kakashi into his mouth. He sucked and swirled his tongue around it then disengaged.

“So that’s what she tastes like.”

Kakashi was angry. It felt as if that was a violation of Sakura; Sasuke’s tasting her most private areas felt like Sasuke had molested her, raped her. Kakashi looked down the length of his body into Sasuke’s face. Sasuke’s eyes filled with darkness and challenge. He was asking Kakashi to defy him, challenging him to hit him or attack him in some way. But Kakashi just glared.

Sasuke lowered his head again and nudged the head of Kakashi’s cock with his cheek, pulling his cheek and the edge of his lips over it in a way that was something between loving and sluty. He took him into his mouth and expertly sucked him, hollowing his cheeks to caress him with the silken texture of the inside of Sasuke’s mouth. Fuck! It felt so good! Kakashi wanted nothing but that mouth on him. Why was Sasuke so good at this?

He started humming. This was only the second time Sasuke had given him a blow job, but there was no comparison: last time he merely wanted to get him off, this time he was showing off. Kakashi’d been serviced by many women in the past, either keeping his mask on or ensuring the room was pitch back so as to keep his face hidden, but he’d never been given such a skillful and pleasurable blow job before. Sasuke knew how to use his tongue, his lips, to vary the strength of his sucking, how to hallow his cheeks so much that the silk insides of his cheeks caressed his cock, how to take him all the way down his throat, use his hands on the lower portions of his cock, and even how to use his teeth without it being painful. It was incredible.

Kakashi tried to reach down to grab Sasuke’s hair, but couldn’t reach with his spine bowed backward so he gripped the bedding instead. He writhed in mind blowing pleasure. That heavenly mouth . . .

“Sas-ahh . . .” He couldn’t speak. “I’m . . .” His hips struggled to thrust against Sasuke’s now restraining hands. Sasuke knew and only sucked harder. Kakashi cried out. Sasuke sucked every last drop out of him, adding his hand to milk him once Kakashi’s hips settled down. He swirled his tongue one last time around the head and then disengaged.

Sasuke’s lips were swollen and bruised and utterly beautiful when he moved so that his head hovered over Kakashi’s abdomen. “Sakura doesn’t give blow jobs, does she? You enjoy it way too much.”

Part of Kakashi wanted to argue that Sasuke was just that good, but he didn’t want to answer him at all when the question referred to Sakura.

“I see,” Sasuke said smirking as if he’d read Kakashi’s every thought. He moved up and kissed him. There were still remnants of cum in Sasuke’s mouth and Kakashi aimed for them. Between the semen and Sasuke’s spicy flavor, Sakura’s taste was fading fast.

Kakashi was so lost in Sasuke’s forceful kiss that he raised a hand up to touch the side of his ribs. He surprised himself by getting hard for the third time tonight. He wanted Sasuke. He stopped being submissive in the kiss and started pulling and teasing Sasuke’s tongue deeper, trying to take control. Sasuke gave in and let Kakashi lead for a while, but then wrenched back control.

After dominating the kiss for a while, Sasuke broke it. “What do you want?” he asked softly, still wanting Kakashi to admit verbally how much he wanted it. But Kakashi would say nothing. “Then I should just send you home.” Sasuke pulled away. Kakashi remained silent. He was a little fearful of being sent back in this state—naked and half hard—but Sasuke never backed up such a threat before. He knew he was Sasuke’s only lover. Or at least the only one he brought to his bedroom. He felt comfortable calling his bluff.

But fuck he wanted it. “You always bluff then do exactly what you want to do.” Kakashi was still breathless from the kiss.

Sasuke grabbed Kakashi’s hair, rolled onto his back, pulling Kakashi down to his hips. Kakashi didn’t need to be told. He tried to mimic Sasuke, though he lacked his innate skill. It was still enough to make Sasuke cum. But that was not enough to sate Sasuke, who was still partially hard.

Kakashi couched between Sasuke’s legs while Sasuke reveled in the afterglow of his blowjob. Kakashi stared at his ghostly white face with the reddened lips, and relaxed eyes and brow.

Sasuke opened his black eyes. “Get up here.”

Kakashi crawled up beside him. Before he could lie down, Sasuke got behind him. He pressed Kakashi’s chest down, keeping his hips up. Sasuke leaned down and was breathing over his shoulder as Kakashi had dreamed. He suppressed a groan. Sasuke moved to the side so he could grab the lube and easily finger him.

“I’m certain with Sakura at home, you never let anyone else do this, right Kakashi?” He didn’t expect an answer. “I would know. Still so tight.”

Kakashi was ashamed at how much his words aroused him. He was already hard, but Sasuke was making it painful. Sasuke shifted and was rubbing his erection against Kakashi’s hip and thigh, waiting for it to get fully hard. Kakashi gripped the bedding around his head. Fuck! Why did just Sasuke’s fingers so shallowly inside him feel so good? If asked, he would beg now.

He didn’t need to. Sasuke replaced his fingers with his mostly hard cock. Kakashi could feel it expand as he fucked him slowly. Sasuke’s hands played lightly upon Kakashi’s lower back and hips. They moved higher until he could feel the thin lines. He reached up and ran his nails lightly down the six lines. Kakashi’s skin crawled. The hand moved down to his sides and trailed down to his hips. All his skin puckered. One hand snaked around to feel Kakashi’s abs, then up to his chest. Sasuke pulled him up to his hands and draped his body over Kakashi’s. Sasuke’s hips kept up the same easy pace.

The feel of Sasuke’s cheek on his back again. He loved that feeling. Sakura did that sometimes when they were about to go to sleep. He loved it more when Sasuke was thrusting slowly against his prostate. And then Sasuke hand moved to Kakashi’s leaking erection.

After a while, Sasuke didn’t want to savor the feeling of fucking him anymore and he straightened up to pick up the pace and bring them both off.

“Do you ever have to explain to Sakura why you can’t have sex with her? That you’re too drained from being fucked by me?” Kakashi groaned.

Sasuke pressed down on Kakashi’s hips to change his angle. Sasuke had been pleasantly ramming past his prostate, but now he was hitting it dead on.

“Uh, fuck,” Kakashi gasped. He cried out Sasuke’s name as he cam. Sasuke kept moving and cam after a few strokes into the tense body. Spent, he let his deflating cock fall from his former sensei’s well fucked ass.

Sasuke pulled Kakashi over and kissed him. Kakashi barely responded, his mind foggy with pleasure. Sasuke scooped up some of Kakashi’s cum from the sheets and rubbed it onto Kakashi’s arm, side, hip, and thigh.

“I should send you back like this: naked, your breath smelling of cum, cum leaking out of your stretched ass, and your own cum on your body, obviously well fucked and enjoying it.”

Kakashi opened his eye and was surprised to see something different in Sasuke’s eyes, but whatever it was, it was gone quickly. Kakashi couldn’t place it. But he recognized the succeeding emotions: irritation, anger, then mischievousness. That scared him. Would Sasuke really send him home in this state?

Sasuke got up and threw Kakashi his discarded boxers. Kakashi pulled them on quickly. He was falling again. He hit the floor again, but it was in darkness. The light coming through the window wasn’t enough to show him the room, but he recognized the shape of the window and the thickness of the curtains. His own bedroom. Sakura was sitting up and reaching for the lamp beside her. Kakashi realized he was lying on the floor on the opposite side of the bed he should be, near the bathroom.

“Stop,” he said, trying not to sound panicked. “Don’t turn on the light.”

“What happened?” she asked. “You were suddenly gone. What did Sasuke want?”

“Nothing important. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Are you really alright?”

“Yeah. Go back to sleep.” He did as he said and scrubbed all evidence of sex from his skin, washing out his mouth as well. That bastard had sent him home without allowing him to wash up first. But what had Sasuke been angry about? And the expression before that? He looked . . . distracted. Kakashi reached back to feel his abused entrance. He’d tightened back up; he didn’t need to worry about anything leaking out. He dried, got another pair of boxers and got into bed.

Sakura turned toward him and put an arm over his chest. “I’m sorry he chose you for this,” she said. “He knew you were asleep, didn’t he? Something trivial, right? He’s doing this on purpose to punish you.”

 _No shit,_ Kakashi thought. “At least he’s doing it just to me and not punishing the entire village,” he sighed. “I can handle him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *There’s a Japanese myth about a raven/crow guiding an emperor. Incidentally, there is a similar legend about Alexander the Great.


	7. Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, I accidently cheered Kakashi up early, but then I came up with this little depressing inner monolog, so you must forgive me for the emotional roller coaster. Kakashi is not manic/depressant.
> 
> Because you have to have Sasuke and Kakashi fight.

Two weeks of relative peace. Sasuke still summoned him, but not very often and he’d really eased up on him. There was greater control in Sasuke’s moves and sex was a little more routine.

Kakashi went for a walk through the village one night after finishing his work. He transformed into something nondescript, not wanting any attention. That and it helped hide him from his ANBU guards who he finally managed to slip. He was just wondering the streets when he felt a familiar chakra coming from one of the restaurants. He stepped in and looked around. He didn’t see him. But he followed the feeling to another nondescript man sitting in a booth alone just starting to eat his meal.

“May I join you?” Kakashi asked.

The other man’s eyes danced with amusement and nodded. The waitress came over, Kakashi ordered, and the woman left.

“I never thought I’d find you here,” Kakashi said. “You do this often?”

“Third time. Sometimes you just crave restaurant food.”

Sasuke, even transformed, seemed to hide behind the long bangs framing his face. He really didn’t want to be recognized. He’d have a lynch mob after him.

“You’re not going to raise the alarm?” Sasuke took a bite of a pork bun.

“The village was just rebuilt; I’d hate for this entire neighborhood to be destroyed.”

Sasuke chuckled and the waitress brought Kakashi’s order. They ate in silence for a time. Sasuke was comfortable, but Kakashi was acutely aware who he was sitting across from.

“Escaped your guards?” Sasuke asked.

“Yeah. I don’t see the point of them.”

“True. Run away often?”

“No.”

“I guess if you can find me like this, I should be more careful.”

“No one knows your chakra as well as me.”

Sasuke sat back with his chopsticks in hand. His eyes lost focus and he tapped his lips with the chopsticks. “Perhaps.”

“Are you really alone up there?” Kakashi asked, the question still plaguing him since the meeting with the other Kage.

“Not a spider. I think they know.”

“Know?”

“Know that evil lurks there. Even the predators know there is no pray there because another evil drives it away. Would you _choose_ to enter that place?”

Kakashi didn’t answer; Kakashi couldn’t answer it to himself. If he didn’t know that the evil in that fortress was Sasuke he probably wouldn’t enter that fortress unless ordered to do so. But before Sasuke turned on them after killing Madara, Kakashi would have gone anywhere he thought Sasuke was. Would he follow him into hell now? It bothered him he couldn’t say ‘no.’

Sasuke leaned forward and finished his meal then pulled out some money and left a few bills on the table. “See you.” He walked off toward the bathrooms. Kakashi felt the disturbance when he teleported. Kakashi poked at the bills and saw that it was more than enough for both of them. Kakashi finished up and left. He continued his walk.

These streets were completely unfamiliar. He rarely left the tower and it was a different perspective on the ground from his window. He let himself get lost.

Kakashi ended up at the edge of the village. He looked up and had a clear view of the Hokage monument. His eyes first lit on his own masked visage, but quickly slid to the Forth’s. _Sensei_. Kakashi sat down against the wall of a building and looked up at the carved cliff face.

 _Sensei. If you had lived none of this would have happened. You knew the Uchiha as a whole were innocent. Fugaku would have remained loyal and Sasuke could have grown up happy. He and Naruto could have been friends without any baggage, just friends. He might have a girlfriend, be married, even already had a kid by now._ Kakashi imagined Sasuke smiling with Sakura on his arm. It tore at his heart, Sasuke smiling happily. _Sensei_. He felt tears welling up. _If only you had lived. Even if it meant I would never have met Sasuke, never cared for Sasuke, it would be worth it for Sasuke to be really happy. Why did you have to die that night?_ He didn’t spare a thought for Naruto’s happiness at growing up with a father and perhaps a mother. His own happiness didn’t even enter into it; he was only worried about Sasuke. He’d always loved Sasuke. He would slit his own throat if it meant Sasuke could have grown up differently. _Sensei. You’d still be Hokage and I could have stayed in the shadows. Sensei_ , this time it was a plea.

He was suddenly very much aware that people might feel his distress and find him here. He jumped up to the rooftops and ran to the cliff. He sat on the edge over Minato’s face and let his transformation drop. He let himself cry silently. His life was a failure. He failed Obito, failed Rin, failed Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura, failed everyone by not killing Sasuke, and failed his sensei and father by not succeeding at anything important in his life.

He looked out over the village. A flame of hate blossomed in his chest. _You want me to hate this village as much as you do, don’t you Sasuke? It’s working._

He suddenly sensed someone behind him. He whirled. Sai was sitting in a high tree, painting.

“How long have you been up there?”

“I just got here. I thought it would be a nice perspective. Did I disturb you?”

“A little.” Kakashi stood and looked at the village again. The hate wasn’t as bright this time. He jumped down to Itachi’s memorial, hopping between the faces. He bowed his head to Itachi then went back to his office and his unhappy ANBU guards.

Sai sketched the edge of the cliff and the village beyond it. He had to draw the image of Kakashi sitting near the edge looking out over the village from memory. He decided to title this picture _Hokage_.

\-----

Kakashi hated paperwork. He hated it when he was a Jounin and he hated it just as much as Hokage. Honestly, he rather Sasuke’s only torture was the rape and kicking his ass during sparing sessions than making him Hokage. Nevertheless he did the work. The bureaucracy had been destroyed along with Konoha so that eliminated a vast quantity of paperwork; people bothered the Hokage only with what was necessary. Nevertheless.

A chunin—what was his name?—came in, bowed, and handed him a thick pile. “The students expected to graduate from the academy. We need the preliminary teams made up by the end of the week.”

“I didn’t even realize classes were being conducted.”

“Iruka-san and many of the other teachers were left here during the war or returned before it ended and continued to teach while the village was being rebuilt.”

“I’ll finish them as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

Alone, Kakashi shifted through the dossiers on the young potential shinobi. He came across one with dark hair, dark eyes, and nearly white skin. He didn’t look like Sasuke really, but he reminded Kakashi of the boy Sasuke had once been. He wanted to throw the file across the room, but resisted. He closed it and restacked the folders. He stood and looked out the window, griping the casement so hard it hurt. He was frustrated; he needed to expend this toxic energy. But what shinobi could hold up against him when all he wanted to go all out?

 _Sasuke_.

That pissed Kakashi off even more. He didn’t want to summon Sasuke unless he needed to. Fuck it. He would just make it perfectly clear he wanted nothing but to spar. He was about to use the scroll to summon the sphere, but he remembered that despite Sasuke normally prompt arrivals so far, he said that it may take hours or days for Sasuke to notice he was being summoned. By then, it would be useless. He mentally swore. But then he remembered the seal on his shoulder. Fuck it; he touched it with chakra on his fingertips.

Kakashi arrived in the throne room where Sasuke was lounging in his throne. Kakashi wondered if that’s all he ever did. What did Sasuke do all day? But he did actually look tired; he did _something_.

“Being attacked?” Sasuke asked, not bothering to act more awake than he was being roused from a doze.

“No, I just really want to spar. Nothing else.”

Sasuke smirked. “Luckily, I’m not busy at the moment.” Sasuke led him to his training room, completely unconcerned as always about showing his back to his sensei. He was also unconcerned about showing how stiff and tried he was. What did he do alone up here?

Kakashi asked for only taijutsu. Even Sasuke could feel the toxic energy coursing through Kakashi; he agreed. Kakashi replaced his headband with the eye patch Sasuke had given him and passionately attacked. All that stiffness and weariness vanished as Sasuke blocked him.

They fought for about half an hour. Then Sasuke kicked high and Kakashi caught his ankle. Sasuke twisted in the air to punch him, which Kakashi also caught. Kakashi blocked the last kick with his arm, never letting go of Sasuke’s other limbs, and Sasuke was upside down, looking into Kakashi’s eyes. It was déjà vu. Sasuke was reaching down as if to take a pair of silver bells. Instead of grabbing the bells, Sasuke grabbed Kakashi’s thigh and used it for leverage to use his free leg free to kick Kakashi in the chest.

Kakashi let him go and they separated. They glared at each other. Kakashi was angry at Sasuke bringing back that memory, but Sasuke looked just as angry at his own actions.

When they came together again, they were far more serious. Kakashi slashed Sasuke’s arm with a kunai and Sasuke retaliated with a kick to his hip and then swept around for a kick to the back. Kakashi rolled to avoid the kick and turned to face Sasuke again. Kakashi managed a punch to the jaw and Sasuke a kick to Kakashi’s ribs, cracking one. Sasuke snaked around him, took his legs out from under him, pulled him back onto him with a kunai to his jugular and a leg wrapped around him to partially restrain him.

“You’re dead. Sensei.”

Kakashi relaxed as a concession and Sasuke released his hold. Kakashi sat up.

“Enough?” Sasuke asked.

“Yeah.”

“Should I send you to the hospital for that rib?”

“My office.” A thought occurred and before he could stop himself, he asked, “What about you? That cut.”

“I can deal with that.”

Kakashi found himself back in his office. A little sweaty, in some pain, but he’d been able to blow off some steam. And Sasuke hadn’t raped him. He asked his new permanent assistant—when he finally returned from an errand—to seek out Shizune to fix his rib.

\-----

Dinner with Sakura still felt awkward.

“Iruka is coming to my office tomorrow to help decide the new genin teams,” Kakashi said. “Thought you might want to join us.”

Sakura brightened. “I haven’t seen Iruka-sensei since before . . .” The brightness fled. “Yeah, I’d like to join you.”

\-----

It wasn’t time for the graduation exam yet, but Iruka pretty much knew who would make the cut. The three of them tired to balance the teams, sometimes putting friends on the same team since they could work well together and would be more egger to protect each other; in that respect, Iruka’s observations were crucial.

Kakashi was surprised by his own depression. There was that boy again who reminded him of a young Sasuke, then there was a girl who looked even sweeter and more innocent than Sakura looked when he first took her on as a student. Didn’t it ever bother Iruka what kind of life he was preparing these children for? But Konoha needed shinobi, it needed soldiers. Mercenaries. As much as they tried to hide behind allegiance to the Hokage and the Fire Country, they were all really mercenaries.

He remembered how Rin died. They were sent to recover documents. Documents! Pieces of paper! And Rin died for them! She was cut down before Kakashi even realized she was in danger. Sometimes it was a total waste. He hoped the village was paid well for that mission; he never found out.

Kakashi looked down at the stack of files. More lambs to the slaughter. More kids like Rin and Sasuke. And Itachi. It was still a game to these kids. He watched his students change during their one year together, saw them realize what the reality of a shinobi life was. But Sasuke had been raped of his innocence long before when he lost every person in the world he loved.

Kakashi mentally pushed those thoughts away; he didn’t want to sympathize with Sasuke. Not anymore. They both had lost everyone they ever loved.

Iruka stretched when they were finished. “We should go out and get lunch,” he suggested.

“I can’t,” Kakashi sighed. “The two of you go on.”

“Ah, then can I have a minute alone then?” Iruka asked.

“I’ll wait outside.” Sakura left them.

Iruka watched her leave then turned to Kakashi once the door shut. “I can’t say I’m comfortable with your relationship.”

 _As blunt as ever._ Kakashi remembered the man’s objections to Kakashi nominating his students for the chunin exams. Kakashi sighed. “She might have been your student, but she’s of age now.”

“My problem isn’t her age, it’s the fact she was _your_ student as well.”

“I know. There’s nothing that you can say that I haven’t already thought of.” Kakashi started stroking his left wrist with his thumb in a way that drew Iruka’s attention; it was as if he was rubbing at a scar that wasn’t there. “I would rather she choose someone else, but I couldn’t say no. I do love her. But I admit the war and what happened with Sasuke and Naruto is a big reason we’re together. I want her to find someone younger, but I can’t tell her to leave. I’m just waiting for her to leave me. I’m really just an old man now. An old man at thirty.”

Kakashi wasn’t looking at Iruka so he didn’t notice the fact Iruka was looking at Kakashi’s hands, not his masked face. Iruka also noticed the loneliness in his voice.

“You’re right, it’s not my place to say anything,” Iruka said. “I’m just worried about her.”

“Ah.” Kakashi threw him his wallet. “I’ll pay for your meal.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

Iruka met Sakura in the corridor and they went to a restaurant, neither comfortable going for ramen while Naruto was out of it.

“How is Naruto?” Iruka asked.

“No change. Whatever Sasuke did to him, it won’t let up. Tsuande may have been able to help him, but I can’t. He’s not brain-dead, just . . . asleep.”

Seeing no other way around it, Iruka just said what he wanted to say without preamble. “Sakura, do you really love Kakashi? I mean _really_ love him?”

She wasn’t as shocked as he thought she’d be. “I do. I had a schoolgirl crush on Sasuke that was more about his appearance than about who he was, but it grew into genuine love as I got to know him. I guess it’s in a woman’s nature to want to fix a guy like Sasuke. I wanted to make him happy. But maybe I didn’t know enough about him or understand him. But even I could see when he went too far. I may not have been able to kill him, but I knew I had to stop loving him. After what he did after we failed to kill him that day he killed Danzo, I couldn’t love him anymore. I don’t. But I do still feel for him. Just thinking of him breaks my heart. I did truly love him.

“But Kakashi. I’ve always looked up to him and admired him. And he’s risked his life more than once for me. He did something, something he won’t tell me and I’m too scared to ask, something to stop Sasuke from killing me. Maybe it was the stress of the situation, but I started loving him then. I felt I couldn’t find any comfort from anyone but him since Naruto was . . .

“A lot of people look at me with pity or consider me to be broken because of Sasuke. Kakashi doesn’t. Kakashi’s gone through the same pain I have. I could be wrong, but I love him. And . . . I guess I feel that same pull of someone who needs help like with Sasuke. At least I know Kakashi will never do anything to break my heart the way Sasuke did. He won’t leave or betray us.”

“Do you have any doubts?”

“No. I feel safe with him; secure. I think we can even be happy once things settle down for him. Everything’s nearly rebuilt and our military strength had improved. We’re still allied with the other villages and Sasuke isn’t bothering Kakashi as often. Soon, I think, and we can finally live normally again, once his depression lifts. He never wanted to be Hokage. Maybe if Naruto wakes up, then it will be alright.”

“As long as you’re certain you love him.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re more worried about Kakashi than me?”

“Have you noticed him rubbing his wrist?”

“No.”

“I’ve taught a lot of kids. Most kids who enter the academy have parents who are shinobi. That holds true with the orphans, but all orphans who’ve lost both parents end up in the academy no matter what. Even if they have no talent, they at least start and drop out later. Naruto, Sasuke, even Kakashi and I, we’re all orphans who parents were shinobi and died. So many orphans. I’ve seen all types of depression; I’ve seen kids who rub their wrists like that. I could be wrong, but the loneliness I heard and saw in Kakashi-sama . . .

“I voiced my concern over the two of you. He definitely cares about you; he wants what’s best for you and hopes you’ll find someone your own age. But I think it’s not just your well being. He’s isolating himself, isn’t he? How many people come to see him without conducting business?”

“Just Gai-sensei.”

“He doesn’t have any family. I’m worried about him. He must feel terrible about Sasuke. I feel horrible about him too. I guess I could have nurtured him more, like I should have with Naruto. I rectified that with Naruto, but not with Sasuke. Sasuke never really seemed to need it; he was stronger than most and I thought he _wanted_ to be left alone. Even if he did want that, I should have known it wasn’t good for him. All he ever got from me was all too common praise of his skills. I’ve tried to be more attentive to the orphans since then. Just take care of Kakashi. If you didn’t love him, I’d advise you to end it now so that it won’t hurt him more when you leave.”

“I understand. I do love him.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Their conversation lightened up after that.

\-----

When Kakashi got home Sakura came up to him and put her arms around his neck. She didn’t kiss him, just hugged him. He was surprised, but understood; he figured Iruka had said something to her. He put his arms around her waist. It really felt good to hold someone and be held.

Then Sakura had to ruin it.

“I’m sorry about Sasuke. If I had just been able to kill him when I had the chance . . .”

He pushed her off. His only visible eye was narrowed. “It was a terrible idea then and it still is. Sasuke was never your responsibility.”

“But I was so close. I could have spared us all—”

“Spared us? It was Sasuke who killed Madara. Tsunade and the other Kage came to the conclusion that he was in fact immortal. Maybe Naruto and Bee could have killed him, but if they couldn’t take on Sasuke then I doubt it. Sasuke may have actually saved us from Madara. No matter what your opinion of Sasuke and the current state of affairs, he killed Madara, destroyed Akatsuki, and stopped Madara’s Moon’s Eye Plan. And Sasuke wasn’t yours to kill.”

“Then who’s was it? Yours?”

“Yes! I should have hunted him down when he first left. It was only because of Tsunade’s feelings for Naruto, and for you, that she didn’t send all of ANBU after him. That and her hope that she could resurrect the Uchiha clan. Sasuke was a missing-nin, he betrayed the village and joined with our worst enemy at the time.” He took a deep breath. “Stop thinking in ‘what ifs.’  Sasuke’s alive and Madara’s dead; just deal with that. The only person’s life or death I lament is Itachi’s. Sasuke only became this because of Itachi’s death. I wanted that memorial constructed not just because Sasuke demanded it; Itachi really was a hero. Perhaps a little misguided, but a hero to this village.”

Sakura was sorry for her words. Kakashi didn’t apologize for snapping at her because he wasn’t sorry. She could be so inane, so . . . annoying. He left.

He really wanted to love Sakura—he cared for her certainly—but it was getting harder to do so. It was Sasuke. He knew Sasuke was trying to isolate him, make him feel the way Sasuke felt. It was some sick game to him, a punishment, a revenge. Revenge. Sasuke must be pretty good at that by now. Damn it but it was working. Now he regretted ever showing her any affection. He wanted to be alone. Alone with his shame.

He didn’t want to go home at all tonight; he couldn’t look Sakura in the face. The arrogant drama queen. It was the second time she’d said something like that. As if this is all her fault, her problem, ‘pity me!’ She wanted what he’d already learned to covet: self-pity. He knew she was trying to help, trying to take some of the weight from his shoulders, but all that did was show that she, on some level, blamed him too. He went back to his office and shut himself in.

What if Sasuke died now? The shinobi alliance would end. Everything would go back to the way it was more or less. All the villages had lost significant numbers, but Konoha was still weak. Sasuke almost appeared to be protecting his home village. He was also protecting the smaller villages like Ame; no one was allowed to attack what he considered his. The state of the shinobi world suggested that the five great nations and their villages would greatly profit from absorbing the smaller nations. They will go to war again. Kakashi had had enough of war. His missed missions, but he didn’t miss war.

But what about Kakashi? If Sasuke died he would quit as Hokage and go back to being a Jounin. And he would shut them all out: Sakura, Naruto—who was sure to wake up if Sasuke died—Gai, Yamato, all of them. His guilt would not die; he still felt guilt for Obito’s death; none of his guilt would die with Sasuke.

Kakashi thought of his father. Did he feel trapped like this too?

It had been just over one full day since he last saw Sasuke, but he was rubbing his shoulder, tempted to use it and go to him. For what? A fight? No. To talk? About what? To have sex? It would feed his self loathing. He just wanted to get away.

Chakra bleed into the seal and he was reversed summoned to Sasuke’s training room. Sasuke stepped back into a crouch with his sword at the ready, suspecting an attack.

Kakashi put up his hands. “I’m not here to attack you. I can’t go home. I have nowhere else to go.”

He was actually surprised that Sasuke didn’t smile superiorly.

“I was just practicing katas. I find your voluntary visits . . . diverting. Did you just want a billet for the night?”

“Yeah.”

“I disposed of the only other beds in this place after they started to decay. Come on.” Sasuke lead him out.

Sasuke’s silence and insistence on not asking what had happened was aggravating Kakashi. “I had a fight with Sakura.”

“I figured as much. Want to make her jealous?”

“Even if that were the case, I’d make sure she didn’t hear of it.”

“You want to get back at her?”

Kakashi felt so bad already, but he couldn’t take that step, he couldn’t admit he now wanted to have sex with Sasuke. “No. I just want to sleep away from her and not in that office.”

Sasuke stopped. “Then you can find your way then.” And Sasuke turned back to return to the training room.

Kakashi was struck dumb and immobile. Sasuke had expected him to want to have sex. But on the flip side, Sasuke had no intention of raping him. Again. He finally continued on to Sasuke’s room.

He got the feeling Sasuke slept closer to the door so he walked over to the other side of the bed, the side he was normally summoned to and he ended up after sex. He took off all his clothes beside his mask and boxers. He touched the headband, wondering if he should keep it. His eye was almost fused shut when he didn’t need it, but still. He did keep that eye patch with him and he used it now.

It felt weird getting into Sasuke’s bed. Usually they just fucked on top of the bedding, but to actually sleep in it . . . And to be here voluntarily . . .

The bed felt different to him. He never really regarded it before. It had always been undeniably comfortable, but he did sort of associate it with sex. Shameful, humiliating, but amazingly satisfying sex. But right now, it actually felt familiar and like home.

But sleep wouldn’t come to him. He stared into the darkness above the bed. He realized something. It was getting late, but Sasuke was wide awake training. He remembered how Sasuke had been wide awake that one day when Kakashi was having a hard time waking up. And Sasuke was NEVER a morning person. He always tried to hide it with indifference or his normal hostility, but he hated waking up. And there were times in the middle of the day when Sasuke looked asleep.

Kakashi was certain this room was underground. Could it be that Sasuke had no idea what time it was? Or that he just didn’t give a shit and woke up whenever? Did he ever even see the sun anymore? From Sasuke’s unnaturally pale skin he thought not; his skin was nearly translucent. Sasuke had really isolated himself.

He turned on his side. They both wanted to isolate themselves. He had no business feeling sorry for Sasuke. Or feeling comradely with him.

Sleep still refused to come.

Angrily, Kakashi turned to Sasuke’s empty side of the bed and buried his face in his pillow and breathed in. Jasmine. Jasmine and . . . Sasuke. The unidentifiable scent unique to Sasuke. His heart clinched.

He turned away and soon fell asleep.

\-----

Kakashi slept better than he had in recently memory. He couldn’t remember his dreams, but they weren’t nightmares. He didn’t want to wake up and the complete darkness in the room made him believe it was still early and snuggled deeper into his pillow. He felt a warm comfortable presence behind him. He couldn’t get back to sleep, but he enjoyed just laying there with the knowledge he didn’t have to get up.

Then he heard a small grunt. A male grunt. His eyes—even his Sharingan eye—snapped open. Then he remembered, he was in Sasuke’s bed, not at home. He carefully activated his Sharingan, hoping Sasuke wouldn’t detect it and wake up.

Sasuke was lying on his stomach with his face turned away from Kakashi. He was clutching the pillow, his brow furrowed. A nightmare. So even Sasuke was susceptible to nightmares.

Kakashi shimmied back down into bed. He lay there a full minute in the dark. Sasuke moaned. Kakashi carefully turned over and then put an arm over his former student as if it was something he randomly did in his sleep. Sasuke didn’t wake up and he was quiet after that.

\-----

Kakashi woke up on his back to find Sasuke sitting up against the headboard with a plate of food. He was nibbling on a spring roll. Kakashi sat up and Sasuke offered him the plate.

“What time is it?” Kakashi asked.

“Afternoon.”

Kakashi picked up a spring roll. Kakashi pulled down his mask. He wasn’t very self conscious being maskless in front of Sasuke even with the lights on after all that’d been going on between them.

“Regretting getting together with pink-haired one?” Sasuke asked.

“I always sort of regretted it.”

“I know what it feels like to be a replacement. I was a replacement for my brother to my father, a replacement for my clan to Konoha, my body a replacement for Itachi’s for Orochimaru and for his own wasting corpse, a replacement for Kimimaru for Juugo, then again a replacement for my brother in Akatsuki. I will no longer be a replacement.”

“Aren’t you replacing Madara as the villain and the ruler of the world?”

“You’re replacing me in Sakura’s affections. And you’re nothing to everybody else. A puppet Hokage and possibly a traitor to the village you’re supposed to rule. Which one of us is more despicable?”

“I’ve not betrayed Konoha.”

“Haven’t you? I’m sure they think you have. _His_ former sensei, _his_ former captain, _his_ choice for Hokage. They must wonder.” He handed Kakashi the entire plate. “Do you train in the morning? I often do. You can join me or I can send you home.”

Despite Sasuke’s slight taunting, Kakashi really didn’t want to go home. “Yeah, I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Afterward, you can shower and I’ll send you home. I have other things to attend to today.”

That peaked Kakashi’s curiosity.

They fought for about ten minutes when Sasuke relaxed from an attack posture. “Fuck, I hate it when you’re suicidal. Fighting you is no fun. I never figured you for such a thing. A cowardly deed. Someone who throws away his life, especially when someone else depends on them, is the mostly dishonorable thing even I can image. Like your father.”

Kakashi’s ire was first sparked by Sasuke’s simple observation of his suicidal thoughts. But when Sasuke insulted his father, something snapped within him. He attacked out of pure blind rage. He was so enraged he missed the smirk on Sasuke’s face.

His attack was vicious. Sasuke lost his smirk. It was only now that he realized that he had never truly fought Kakashi. Even when Kakashi tried to kill him after Danzo’s death, that had been a half-hearted attempt. Kakashi was serious this time. Sasuke knew Kakashi would react to teasing about his father, but he didn’t realize how much. Kakashi was really trying to kill him. It was like being attacked by an angry, hungry wolf.

However much rage Kakashi felt, his mind was clear enough to properly attack Sasuke even if he couldn’t think clearly enough to make hand signs initially. He took out a kunai and was suddenly in front of Sasuke. Sasuke was able to dodge, but he was still stabbed in the bicep.

Sasuke couldn’t repress a grunt of pain. He came around and elbowed Kakashi in the chest. The fight was truly vicious and tight until Sasuke was able to grab both of Kakashi’s fists with his and use that leverage to push himself up and kick Kakashi back with both legs, letting go of Kakashi so there was now some distance between them.

Sasuke threw Chidori senbon at him and Kakashi proved why he was known as the copy ninja: having only seen Sasuke’s technique once before this, Kakashi copied it and threw Chidori senbon right back at him. Sasuke smiled grimly; Kakashi was throwing his techniques back at him, but Sasuke was using the ninjutsu Kakashi had taught him.

Sasuke decided to shake things up by sending the Grand Fireball at his former sensei. The room was large and gave Kakashi plenty of room to send his Dragon Water Bullet to counter the fireball.

As the steam created by the contrasting ninjutsu thinned, they both ran at each other, a full powered Chidori flickering around their hands. Both were adept enough to be able to sustain the Chidori with only one hand, not needing the other hand to brace it. Sasuke raised his sword—also charged with Chidori—and Kakashi took out three shuriken. Kakashi threw the shuriken as they ran toward each other. Two shuriken unbalanced Sasuke’s sword and the third nicked his fingers, knocking the sword away, leaving them both weaponless. Or so it seemed. Sasuke grabbed his sheath from his belt.

Sasuke prepared to swing the sheath at Kakashi’s sparking arm to break and divert it, but Kakashi reached up and touched the seal on his arm. He was suddenly much closer and Sasuke had no time to re-aim. Kakashi used his free hand to grab Sasuke’s Chidori charged arm, diverting it from his body. His own Chidori was about to enter Sasuke’s chest, but Sasuke was able to move just enough so that Kakashi’s hand entered right under his shoulder, just above his lung.

Sasuke whacked Kakashi in the head with the sheath, but with the Chidori sparking in his shoulder, his arm was too numb to put much force into the blow. It was enough to knock Kakashi back so that his hand slipped out of Sasuke’s body. Kakashi dropped and punched Sasuke in the diaphragm with some chakra to strengthen the blow. He then twisted, letting go of Sasuke’s arm, and kicked Sasuke’s legs out from under him. Sasuke was able to twist enough to fall backward and not toward the kunai that Kakashi pulled from his pouch.

Sasuke’s arm was numb, but he was still able to make hand signs and released the Fire Phoenix Jutsu at Kakashi. They both leapt away. Sasuke recovered his sword. They both sent a last barge of jutsu and weapons at each other at a distance. They were both hit, Kakashi in the arm and his neck graced, Sasuke was hit in the thigh and arm despite having his sword to block.

Kakashi’s vision cleared as his rage abated. He saw Sasuke slumped on the ground, barely holding himself up by holding onto his sword which was stuck in the concrete floor and holding his wounded shoulder. There wasn’t a lot of blood since the electricity cauterized much of the wound. Sasuke’s eyes faded to black.

“If you’re anything like your father, he deserved the title ‘White Fang.’” Sasuke struggled to breathe, his ribs pressing against his lungs and his diaphragm restricted by Sasuke’s slump. “A draw?”

Judging from his own pain and the way Sasuke looked, he’d say it wasn’t much of a draw; Sasuke was far worse off. But he nodded.

“I didn’t really mean anything . . . against your father. Railed you up. Guess it’s not wise to tease a wolf.” A drop of blood dripped from his lips.

Kakashi sat down. He was worried for Sasuke, but he could see there was nothing truly life threatening. He looked down and thought about what Sasuke had said. His father left his son, but could Kakashi leave a whole village that depended on him? He sighed. He could not follow his father’s path.

Sasuke stretched painfully, but he was better able to breathe. “But it feels good, doesn’t it?” Kakashi looked up at him, confused about what Sasuke was talking about. “Guilt. Self-pity. Rage. You just want to feed it and feel it. It’s a lot like sex. The pleasure builds and builds and it feels so good, but you want to reach the end, an explosion of feeling. Guilt, self-pity, and rage are the same. Eventually they explode in pain, relief, and violence. It’s addictive.”

Kakashi did not break eye contact. “It is,” he admitted.

Kakashi found himself sitting on his bedroom floor. He collapsed more from relief than pain; it was good to be home. Sakura rushed to him and started healing him.

“Are you alright?”

Kakashi laughed. “You should see the other guy.” Sakura had to laugh a little at that. “Is he alright?”

Kakashi sobered too and nodded. “Sasuke will live.”

Sakura healed his wounds. Kakashi wondered who would heal Sasuke’s.

\-----

Kakashi was fast asleep, drained by the fight with his former student. Sakura slept beside him. A pair of ANBU guards perched on the roof to protect their Hokage and his lover. The ANBU slumped, leaving the pair unguarded. Kakashi and Sakura did not wake up when a presence entered their bedroom. A sword stuck into the middle of the wooden footboard.

“You sleep awfully soundly for shinobi.”

They both started awake at the sound of the voice. Sasuke.

Sakura turned on the light next to her and that’s when they realized just how injured Sasuke was. He was leaning on his sword. It had been about four hours since their fight and Sasuke looked like he had barely recovered any strength.

“No medical-nin to take care of you?” Kakashi asked. Sasuke glared at him.

Kakashi regarded him. He was in pain. He wasn’t breathing well, possibly with a broken rib and/or a bruised diaphragm. But the most serious wound was the hole in his shoulder.

Kakashi got up and was about to tell Sakura to go ahead and heal him when he noticed Sasuke’s Sharingan was directed at Sakura and she was moving without a word from Kakashi. Sakura moved away from the bed allowing Sasuke to lie down and she got to work healing him.

Kakashi sighed, then asked, “ANBU?”

“Asleep,” Sasuke said.

“I should take advantage of this and kill you,” Kakashi said.

“Sakura would attack you if you tried anything. You wouldn’t want her to feel the guilt of having attacked her lover, do you?”

Kakashi leaned back against the dresser and watched. “She would have healed you.”

“I don’t trust her.”

“Why did you wait so long? You’re in bad shape.”

“Will you shut up?” Sasuke was took several deep breaths.

Kakashi fell silent and watched Sasuke bleed onto their sheets. But he didn’t like the silence. Seeing Sasuke’s control over Sakura brought something else to mind that he never thought to ask Sasuke before.

“What did you do to Naruto?”

“He’ll wake up eventually.”

“What condition will he be in?”

“He’ll be fine. I’m just teaching him a lesson. And keeping him out of the way.”

“Why don’t you just kill him?”

“Then he’ll never learn.”

Sakura finished tending the shoulder wound and stopped all his bleeding. Sasuke got up and rotated his shoulder. He looked at Sakura. “I’ll never be as good as my brother at genjutsu,” Sasuke muttered.

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It was second nature to him for some reason. Maybe because Shisui trained him. I’ve mastered the ninjutsu of the Sharingan, he the genjutsu. What a pair we would have made.” Sasuke vanished and Sakura woke up.

“Sasuke?” She looked down at the bed. Her lack of confusion assured Kakashi that Sasuke let her see what she was being forced to do. She started to cry. Sasuke had been right here and she had touched him, healed him. Kakashi knew she was still in love with him. _A replacement indeed._ She stared at the blood stain on the bed.

Kakashi came up and embraced her. “Sleep on the sofa tonight,” he told her. “His blood’s probably soaked through. I’ll have the mattress and bedding replaced tomorrow.” He led her out, helped her get settled, and crouched next to her until she was asleep.

Blood, even Sasuke’s, didn’t put him off. He was too tired and sore to consider the floor so he got back into bed. He couldn’t help rolling over and inhaling the scent of Sasuke’s blood before he fell asleep.


	8. Falling

Sasuke now only had to get that glint in his eye while they were sparring for Kakashi to step it up a notch. Sasuke had hammered his message in that day and Kakashi had come to the conclusion that he could not follow his father; he got his head back on straight.

As to prove there were no hard feelings for Kakashi nearly killing him, Sasuke summoned him two days after that fight for sex. Kakashi would never understand how Sasuke could have such a heavenly mouth. Kakashi considered the blowjob an apology for what Sasuke said about his father. Then Sasuke fucked him into the mattress. For once, Kakashi didn’t consider it rape in the slightest; he enjoyed the fuck out of it. But he wouldn’t tell Sasuke that.

However, Sasuke being more amiable had other consequences.

Four days after Sasuke’s ‘apology,’ Sakura pressed up against Kakashi as soon as he came into their apartment within the Hokage tower. He was still annoyed with her, but he indulged her.

However, for the first time, Kakashi couldn’t get hard. He kissed Sakura as passionately as he could, slid a hand down her chest, over her bare breast, then down her smooth side. Nothing. He moved down to suck at her small breast. Though they were small, Kakashi liked how they fit so perfectly in his hands. But he still didn’t feel a stir. He thought about how it would feel to be inside her and he started to feel something, but it wasn’t enough.

Oral sex was a blessing right now; his jaw might hurt by the end of the night, but he could jerk off without her knowing how soft he was. He put his all into tonguing her, but his hand was pleasuring him more than her body or scent.

Then he thought of Sasuke. Those eyes that looked down at him with so little emotion. There was something arousing about how little regard Sasuke seemed to have for him when they had sex. His beautiful face, his lovely skin, admirable musculature, and those goddamn eyes. They devoured him, saw through him, reduced him to nothing. It fed his self-loathing and aroused him, letting him give into Sasuke. Just thinking of Sasuke—not the sex, but just Sasuke and his eyes—made Kakashi rock hard.

Damn it! He had to think of Sasuke just to get hard! He was so angry that he threw everything to the wind. He nudged Sakura onto her stomach and he took her, imagining that she was Sasuke, imagining that he could take Sasuke. But he kept his mouth shut; he wouldn’t let Sasuke’s name escape his lips. He was a little rough with her, but she didn’t complain as he was hitting all the right spots inside her. He cam deep inside her.

She curled up next to him after he moved off her. Kakashi had to hate Sasuke for this. He shrugged off the ache in his shoulder.

\-----

Kakashi whirled around behind his desk, expecting to see Sasuke at the window. But there was just a large black cat. Kakashi took a deep breath; he was getting jumpy. The cat was startled, but now it meowed, relaxed, and jumped down to the floor of Kakashi’s office. It came up and brushed up affectionately against Kakashi’s leg, purring.

“Dumb cat, don’t even know a dog person when you rub up against one.”

But he let the cat stay.

Kakashi actually liked the cat. It appeared every few days and Sakura brought a pillow for it and milk and tuna. Kakashi figured it was mainly looking for a safe place to lie in the sun and be lazy fucking cat, but when it jumped in his lap when he was board or tired of the mundane work and encouraged him to pet it, the cat was—what was Sasuke’s word?—diverting. He was going to have a hell of a time explaining the cat hairs to his pack of hounds.

Meanwhile, Gaara sent him a letter asking him to rethink Sasuke’s demands for supplies. Everyone was convinced Kakashi had the answers. Kakashi called in Hiashi and Shikaku to talk about Sasuke. The cat jumped down from his lap when the pair arrived and seemed to fall asleep as soon as it lay on the pillow in the sunlight from the window.

“Gaara wants us to give more thought to Sasuke’s strange demands for supplies. He _is_ alone up there in that fortress. The only thing I can think of is he’s using it as barter on the black market. But, then again, what for? He must be stockpiling something.”

Shikaku nodded. “If we investigate the black market we may find out what Sasuke’s been buying and then we’ll have more data to make a conjecture from.”

“Agreed,” Hiashi said. “If it’s weapons or material to make weapons, he may indeed be planning on arming soldiers. But if it’s something else . . . He may have more diabolical plans than even Madara.”

The cat purred and turned over, stretching.

“Is there any other possibility either of you can think of in case the black market doesn’t pan out?” Kakashi asked.

“None,” Shikaku said. “But we will give it more thought.”

“That’s all, thank you.”

Kakashi sent notes to all the Kage about investing who in the black market was trading with Sasuke. He looked over at the black cat on his floor. The tail thumped up and down on the floor a few times. He could almost like cats.

\-----

Kakashi was surprised when he was next summoned by Sasuke. They were in the throne room and Sasuke looked angrier than he had in a very long time.

“You were the one who suggested everyone look into the black market,” Sasuke accused.

Kakashi’s back stiffened. He was right about the black market. And he was in trouble. But how did Sasuke know so soon? It was only about twenty-four hours after he spoke to Hiashi and Shikaku.

“What have you learned?” Sasuke demanded.

Kakashi swallowed. “Konoha hasn’t devoted any resources to investigating your dealings with the black market; we left it to the other villages. But it’s probably too soon for anyone to have learned anything.”

Sasuke was scowling. Kakashi realized Sasuke was not just feeling betrayed, he was legitimately worried; Sasuke didn’t bother to hide it. Sasuke took up his sheathed sword from where he leaned it against the throne and kicked backrest of the throne. It fell backward, but the stone didn’t crack. It showed how angry he was though. Kakashi wanted to sink into the stone floor.

Sasuke paced, gripping his sheathed sword so hard Kakashi thought the sheath would crack. He was deep in thought, still fuming with anger. He stopped and turned red eyes on his former sensei.

“You fucked this all up and you will remedy it. You will arrange to get the things I need. I will barter with Konoha. I will make you complicit. If you dare betray me, if you dare inform the other Kage of this, or even your underlings, I will not save my vengeance for you alone. I’ll even gut your little girlfriend in the street. Understand?”

“Hai.”

“Right that,” Sasuke said gesturing to his throne. Kakashi found he needed help and used a shadow clone to raise it. It was undamaged, a very solid bit of work. The clone vanished. Sasuke was suddenly right next to him and slugged him. Kakashi fell into the back of the throne sideways, hitting his head hard enough for it to ring. Sasuke was so furious at him that he kicked him in the chest, laying Kakashi out on his back.

“Don’t ever betray me again.”

Kakashi was dazed and didn’t realize when he was sent back to his office; he only registered it when he noticed how much brighter it was and that could have been hours later for all he knew. He looked over and saw the cat sitting near him, regarding him. It came over and rubbed up against his leg, purring. Kakashi sat up from his position laying on the floor and petted the cat. It meowed then jumped up on the windowsill and left.

“Yoshi!” Kakashi yelled as he levered himself up into his chair. His assistant came in. “Sakura or Shizune, bring one of them here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kakashi felt like shit. And it had nothing to do with the pain in his head, chest, or jaw.

\-----

The good thing about becoming Sasuke’s agent was that Kakashi knew what Sasuke was buying. Then again, he couldn’t make anything of it. Chemicals, minerals, solutions . . . The only conclusion Kakashi could come up with was that Sasuke was carrying on one—or more—of Orochimaru’s experiments. Kakashi looked up every component, but none seemed to lend themselves to making drugs. Some, however, did have chakra suppressing properties. But maybe Sasuke was just fucking with him, changing what he was buying and re-trading the items he got from Konoha merchants on the black market again. As far as he knew none of the other Kage had been able to find anyone who ever traded with the Uchiha and therefore had no idea what he was buying. They were beginning to believe that Kakashi was wrong. But from Sasuke’s anger, he knew he was right and could say nothing. And he didn’t want to anymore.

And he heard about the bodies found in forest. A dozen bandits were slashed to ribbons and burned with Chidori. It was overkill. Sasuke was furious.

Kakashi knew what happened to shinobi—missing-nin or not—who ventured too close to the fortress and this was overkill. Sasuke liked to display how little effort it took him to kill, but this was pure rage. And these men weren’t even that close to the fortress; Sasuke had hunted them purely to kill them.

Whatever Sasuke was up to, whatever those black market supplies were, was vital to Sasuke.

\-----

Sasuke was still rather rough with him, but Kakashi didn’t care anymore. Kakashi gripped the edge of the headboard as Sasuke took him from behind. It felt so damn good. The sound of Sasuke’s breath and the feeling of it on his shoulder, the light feel of Sasuke’s lips dragging across his back as Sasuke leaned in as he fucked him; it all felt so good. Sasuke fisted his hair to pulled him back onto him. Sasuke bit his shoulder blade when he cam. After breathing deeply against Kakashi’s back, Sasuke flipped him over and sucked him off. Kakashi had come to the conclusion that was something Sasuke enjoyed doing.

Kakashi remained sitting leaning back against the headboard while Sasuke turned to lay on his back, his head on the pillow.

“Have any of the other villages found anything with the black market?” Sasuke asked casually.

Kakashi knew Sasuke knew the answer, but he said, “They’ve found nothing. They think I’m wrong. No one says they’ve traded with you. Even the men of the black market are frightened of you.”

Sasuke chuckled. “As it should be.”

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure that out from the lists I give you?”

“I can’t make anything of it.”

“Good. I’ll go back to my original contacts; I won’t go through Konoha anymore.” He sighed. “Get cleaned up. I should get back to work.”

“What work?”

Sasuke said nothing; Kakashi at least expected a reprimand for asking, but Sasuke just looked pensive. Kakashi did as he was told and found Sasuke still laying there thinking when he came back and dressed.

“Make sure the last of the supplies are together for me to retrieve; I only want to make one trip. Use the scroll to alert me when they’re ready.”

\-----

Two months. It’d been two months since Kakashi saw Sasuke. The cat had vanished too. Kakashi thought it was colder weather that drove the cat to somewhere warmer and safer. He was slightly concerned for it, but he was more concerned about Sasuke.

This was the time Sakura had been waiting for: everything had settled down, Sasuke was not summoning Kakashi anymore and everything seemed to be calm. But Kakashi was no warmer to her or anyone else. He still showed her affection and slept with her, but he wasn’t relaxing, not laid back, not smiling, laughing, not back to his old self. The work had slowed down to a perfectly manageable amount. Unfortunately for Sakura, Kakashi had more time to think.

He thought about how Sasuke looked after they last had sex. He’d been thinking seriously about something and then he disappeared. Kakashi sent messages to all the other villages, not just the to the other Kage. Sasuke was still sending the demands for supplies, but no one had seen him.

Kakashi was worried.

He was approving mission requests alone when a member of ANBU appeared before him. Kakashi sat back to look at the masked man. “Report.”

“Another team’s returned having found their target already eliminated. That’s the eighteenth.”

“Sasuke.”

“They believe it was him.”

“He gets bored and goes out to kill someone. Bandits or missing-nins this time?”

“Missing-nins.”

“Take responsibility if we can get away with it.”

He didn’t go home when he finished work, he stayed in his office alone. This new office had wide windows which let him see to the east and west and he could see the sun setting behind the trees. He wondered where Sasuke was now. Probably out hunting and enjoying it.

Kakashi looked at the backlit trees as the sun sank. Impulsively, he touched the seal on his shoulder.

And he ducked. Sasuke was in midswing and couldn’t stop if he wanted to. But Kakashi appeared just to the left of the man Sasuke was aiming for and his quick reflexes let him avoid Sasuke’s blade.

Kakashi took quick stock of the situation. Missing-nins. From Iwa according to their slashed headbands. There was no reason for Kakashi to hold back. He joined the fray; the missing-nins would probably not leave him a choice anyway. There were about twenty men left from a band of about thirty. They split up pretty evenly to take on the two Sharingan users. Kakashi used any time he could steal to switch from his headband to his eye patch, not wanting to anger Sasuke by letting the younger see his borrowed eye.

Kakashi hadn’t even sparred with anyone in two months since Sasuke stopped summoning him, but the training of a lifetime did not fail him. He and Sasuke ended up fighting alongside each other. It was almost as if no time had passed, like they were still a team. They even found themselves back to back at one point. Together, they finished off the missing-nins.

“I wish there was a way to alert you that I was coming,” Kakashi said as Sasuke sheathed his sword.

“It’s called ‘waiting until you’re summoned,’” Sasuke said.

“It’s been two months.”

Sasuke smiled at him evilly. “Miss me?”

“Yes.” Sasuke was startled by the easy admission. “I’ve been worried about you.”

Kakashi somehow grew cold and warm at the same time; a chill went through him, but his core body temperature seemed to go up. Sasuke glanced down at Kakashi’s covered lips and back to his one visible eye. The look he had on his face was lost, confused, but also longing. Sasuke, on some level, missed Kakashi too. Even if it was just sex, he missed him. But something told Kakashi it was more than the sex.

Sasuke looked away. “My work is more important right now. I’ve dedicated myself to it recently. I don’t have time to toy with you, but I need exercise.

“I’m nearly out of chakra. I don’t have enough to send either of us anywhere. This isn’t the first group I’ve slaughtered today. I didn’t bring any soldier pills with me.”

“I don’t have any on me either.”

Sasuke began scavenging among the bodies. It seemed an odd and almost sad thing for the most powerful man in the shinobi world to be going through dead men’s pockets like a beggar. And doing it like it was a completely normal thing. He pocketed any money he found and sorted through weapons for any worth saving as he looked for pills.

Sasuke came up with a small pouch of pills. He sniffed at one then took a small bite. He spit it out. “Never tasted anything so horrible, but they are soldier pills.”

“You’ve never had Sakura’s soldier pills.”

“Unlike the rest of you, I have a strong enough self preservation instinct not to eat anything she makes.”

Kakashi couldn’t help but laugh. “But they are the best.”

Sasuke chocked the pills down. Chakra flooded his system.

“Don’t summon yourself to me again unless it’s an emergency; I nearly cut you in half.”

And Kakashi was back in his office. Beside his ANBU guard, he hadn’t been missed.

Fighting at Sasuke’s side had been . . . fun. They had always been a splendid team. There had been no time between the chunin exam and Sasuke’s departure for them to fight as a team with their Chidori, but Kakashi knew they would have become the deadliest team in Konoha, if not the world. Kakashi let a wistful smile creep across his masked face. Even without Naruto and Sakura there, it had felt like old times.

\-----

It was only two days later Sasuke summoned him. He got right to business. Sasuke had missed him; he was downright passionate today. Luckily, Kakashi was of a similar mind. As soon as Sasuke began to wordlessly strip, so did Kakashi, switching his headband for the eye patch as he did so.

Nothing so romantic as kissing, Sasuke latched teeth to Kakashi’s unblemished neck as he pressed him down onto the bed sideways, their feet still on the ground. Kakashi wasn’t ashamed to moan and put his hands on Sasuke’s sides, feeling Sasuke’s lungs expand behind his ribs. For being such a cold, emotionless bastard, his body was warm and full of life. He slid his hands down to his waist.

Sasuke pulled his teeth away; he didn’t break the skin, but it would develop into a nice bruise by morning. He mounted the bed, forcing Kakashi back further onto it to lay properly. Sasuke had the lube ready and he looked Kakashi right in the eye as he pressed his fingers in. After months of nothing but vanilla sex with Sakura, he was tight as a virgin. Kakashi winced.

“If you ever let someone else do this to you, I’d slaughter him and make sure you never forget who owns your sorry ass.”

Kakashi opened his eye but didn’t respond. Minato did describe the Uchiha as pathologically possessive. He didn’t take that comment as anything more than that.

Those sword calloused fingers stung as they stretched him. Kakashi shut his eyes but Sasuke kept staring at him. Kakashi could almost feel Sasuke’s lifeless eyes on him and it unnerved him, but he tried to relax; he needed this as badly as Sasuke.

 _Damn it, just fuck me,_ Kakashi thought. He still wouldn’t beg out loud, yet Sasuke was watching him so closely, he knew what his former sensei wanted. He replaced his finger with his weeping cock. Kakashi gasped at the size; it had been too long.

But the feeling of fullness almost overrode the pain. His cock had softened, but not completely. And Sasuke wasn’t in the mood to wait. He gave a few slow thrusts—Kakashi’s body almost too tight to move—then sped up as Kakashi’s body submitted to him.

Even before the sting fled, Kakashi began grunting in pleasure. Finally, Sasuke’s eyes left Kakashi’s face as he concentrated on getting off. The case of blue balls he was dealing with wouldn’t let him last very long. He reached for Kakashi’s cock and pumped him, not wanting to be the first to cum. Kakashi’s cock was already wet with precum and it only took a swirl of his Sasuke’s thumb over the head for him to cum as he’d hadn’t had great sex either for months.

Kakashi cried out and it was too much for Sasuke and he cam deep inside him, pressing his hips harder into Kakashi’s to get as deep as possible. Sasuke remained buried inside him for a few seconds. Neither had gone limp, but they were too sensitive to do anything just yet. They caught their breath.

Kakashi cracked open an eye. Sasuke was bracing himself over his body with his hands on either side of Kakashi’s body. He had his head down and his eyes closed. Kakashi wanted to stroke that silky duck-butt which was aimed at the ceiling now. He wanted to touch him. To willingly touch him like this would be to admit something he couldn’t admit to himself. Even so close, Sasuke seemed so far away.

Before Sasuke looked up at him again, Kakashi shut his eyes again to bring his breathing under control. Kakashi felt Sasuke shift his weight then felt Sasuke’s hand cup his heavy balls.

“Sakura can’t satisfy you, can she?”

Kakashi opened his eye to glare at him. Sasuke was smirking at him. Sasuke’s fingers moved further down to poke at his perineum. Kakashi was still sensitive, but it erased the glare from his face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wring you dry.”

Sasuke pulled Kakashi’s hips up and shoved back in. It didn’t hurt so much the second time. The assault on his prostate made Kakashi’s cock drip with precum. Kakashi relaxed back into the pillows and let Sasuke take him.

Sasuke was kneeling upright, his hands more resting around Kakashi’s thighs than gripping them as he thrust repeatedly into the willing body before him. He opened his eyes and looked at Kakashi. The lust in his eyes eased. No matter what he really felt for Kakashi, he’d missed him; the sex or his presence, it didn’t matter, he missed him.

Kakashi was surprised to feel Sasuke’s hands caressing his body. There was no real emotion on Sasuke’s face, but he was leaning forward and drawing his hands down Kakashi’s chest and stomach. The calloused hands sent shivers of pleasure through Kakashi’s body. Meanwhile, Sasuke didn’t miss a beat. After a while, Sasuke’s hands stilled and he used them to brace himself against Kakashi’s ribs. Kakashi loved the feeling of those hands on his body.

It was a drawn out second session, but Sasuke finally cam shallowly in Kakashi’s body and Kakashi brought himself off as he watched the bliss cross Sasuke’s face. Sasuke twisted around to lie on his back as he caught his breath and let the post-orgasm weakness pass.

Kakashi lay next to him feeling all the cum pooled on his stomach and dripping down his cock cool and the cum in his body begin to leak out of him being that Sasuke nearly pulled out as he cam.

Sasuke got up weakly to the bathroom. Kakashi thought it was over. So much for wringing him dry. He was tempted to slip into blessed unconsciousness. But Sasuke was back rather quickly and crawled over Kakashi’s body to straddle Kakashi’s head.

“Just cleaning up,” Sasuke said. “Wouldn’t want you getting sick, would we?”

Sasuke lowered his balls to Kakashi’s mouth, holding his limp cock out of the way. Kakashi mouthed and licked at the freshly washed flesh. Sasuke leaned forward to rest his head against the wall, his fingers splayed near his shoulders. His cock grew as it lay on Kakashi’s face. Kakashi moved his head a bit to give some friction against Sasuke’s cock. Sasuke groaned.

After quite a bit of attention paid to his balls, Sasuke dragged his cock down to Kakashi’s lips and Kakashi took him into his mouth. He was getting better at it since Sasuke had started giving him an example to follow while Sakura had yet to give him a single blowjob.

Kakashi brought up a hand to caress Sasuke’s firm ass. Receiving no rebuke, he felt down the back of his muscular thigh.

“Kakashi,” Sasuke sighed.

Kakashi was barely able to keep from freezing up; Sasuke had never sighed his name before. It made his cock jump. Kakashi was pretty sure Sasuke didn’t even realize what he’d said. A few minutes later, Sasuke unloaded into the back of Kakashi’s throat. It was an effort on Kakashi’s part not to choke on or drown in the load.

Sasuke moved down between Kakashi’s thighs and played his fingers through the white mess on Kakashi’s stomach, with the drag lines through it he’d made earlier, then he swallowed Kakashi’s cock whole. Kakashi couldn’t help but buck up into that mouth, but Sasuke was ready for it, grabbing onto Kakashi’s thighs and raising his head to avoid choking. Kakashi couldn’t even look down at Sasuke’s hallow cheeks; it felt to damn good to do anything but enjoy it and struggle against Sasuke’s restraining hands.

Sasuke could suck water from a stone. Sasuke deepthroated him and tightened his lips around him to pull up his length, back all the way down, then back up to the head, all the while his tongue playing against the underside. His tongue swirled around the head and poked into the slit as if he was trying to fuck it deep with his tongue. He deepthroated like a pro, taking Kakashi’s entire—not inconsiderable—length all the way down his throat until Kakashi felt his nose touch his crotch, his breath feather his coarser hair, and his bruised, swollen lips touch his tense scrotum. It felt so good to be fully sheathed in that wicked mouth; the cold subterranean air was almost painful on his wet cock as Sasuke slid his throat off his length. Sasuke most definitely enjoyed it. When his jaw started to get tired he started humming and fingering Kakashi’s dripping hole. Kakashi couldn’t withstand much of that and he cam in Sasuke’s waiting mouth.

Kakashi didn’t think he could move and he didn’t want to. Sasuke crawled up next to him and laid down. With the epitome of laziness, Sasuke made a clone to turn off the light.

“Might as well stay here tonight,” Sasuke said as he pulled the blanket from under his body. Kakashi did the same, tempted to tell Sasuke it was only about noon.

\-----

Kakashi could feel hostile chakra coming from below his office. He stood and looked down. There was a gathering of shinobi at the entrance to the tower. He recognized Sakura’s hair from this distance. Using all his skill, he stealthily made his way down, invisible even in the shadowless midday.

A chunin was yelling at Sakura, backed up by his two teammates. A crowd had gathered to watch. “He hasn’t done a single thing to counter the Uchiha! You and he were on the same team as him; he was Hatake’s student! We can’t trust the two of you to work in our interest!”

Kakashi moved out of the shadows of the wall surrounding the tower. “I’ve done far more than any of you will ever realize to protect the village from Sasuke.”

All attention shifted to Kakashi. He was tall, especially with the added height of his white hair, but he wasn’t a very imposing figure unless he revealed that red eye and narrowed his gray one. He did neither now, but neither was he standing nonchalantly with his hands casually in his pockets looking bored.

“The great Hokage come down from on high?” one of the teammates mocked. This was one of the very few times Kakashi had left the tower undisguised.

“He’s one man!” the ringleader shouted. “The only reason you’ve not lead an army against him is because he was your student!”

“You were not on that battlefield,” Kakashi said with a hint of sadness. “Sasuke wiped out a third of our shinobi. Most of us that lived only survived by surrendering. And he killed many who surrendered.”

Sakura looked down; she was nearly one of those killed after surrendering.

“The Hokage should be able to defeat one man!” the chunin argued.

“And who do you purpose can defeat a man who nearly wiped out the allied shinobi army singlehandedly? You? Do you think you know the situation? Sasuke has all but ignored our village. Would you oppose him and turn his attention back to the village he despises the most? I know Sasuke and I can handle him. The one time we Kage planned to make a move against him, he showed that moving behind his back is pointless and he survived a fight with the five of us and our guards. If you have a plan that you think would work against such a man, let me hear it.”

“I want to challenge you for Hokage!” the chunin declared.

It was an effort for Kakashi not to laugh. “You must be joking.”

“I’m serious! I’ll stand up to that arrogant son of a bitch!”

“Sasuke would leave your ashes on the street. Anyway, it’s he who chooses the Kage now and I don’t think he’d choose you even if you did defeat or kill me.”

Sakura wasn’t interfering. Part of her wanted this to be all over, for Kakashi to no longer be Hokage and no longer be Sasuke’s pawn, even though she knew this young shinobi was wrong in every way to replace Kakashi.

“Oh, I’ll defeat you.” Even his companions were stunned when the young man leaped forward.

 _A direct attack?_ Kakashi wondered. Either this kid was completely incompetent, or he learned one of the basics of shinobi life: beneath the underneath.

Kakashi back flipped away and into the ground. He sent out a wave of lightning jutsu and heard a cry. He’d been right: the one who attacked him had been a decoy, the real attack was going to come from the ground. Reemerging above, Kakashi found that the man’s teammates had decided to join the fray. Sakura was looking at him, waiting for a signal to back him up or stay out of it. Kakashi shook his head; he’d deal with this himself. ANBU took the same order.

This was a fight to reaffirm his authority, so he decided to show off and show that he wasn’t getting rusty sitting in that tower day after day. Few knew he sparred with Sasuke on almost a regular basis; he was still on the top of his game.

He put the three young men down with a few broken bones, but nothing too serious. He turned to Sakura without a scratch on him. “Get them to the hospital.”

She nodded and started checking on them as others came to help her transport the trio. Kakashi used the ANBU teleporting jutsu to return to his office. He felt awful. Having to fight his own.

Yoshi didn’t know what had happened and sucked at sensing Kakashi’s mood. “It’s nearly time for the semiyearly chunin exam—”

Kakashi shoved a stack of papers off his desk onto the floor at Yoshi’s feet, his depression turning to rage.

“Hokage-sama?” the man nearly squeaked.

“Get out,” Kakashi growled.

He felt the presence of ANBU vanish along with his assistant. His shoulder was suddenly burning. Would that damn seal ever heal! He kicked his desk over. This village was populated with nothing but children! He just had to fight children!

“Damn you, Sasuke,” Kakashi growled. He gripped the upturned edge of his desk and his rage drained as he took a series of deep breaths. He struggled to clear his mind and felt Sakura lurking outside his door. He thought about the young man’s defiance. If there was one man in the world who could take Sasuke on it was Naruto. How long had it been since he visited his other student?

Kakashi came out. “Tell Yoshi to clean that up.” He left and Sakura did not follow.

Naruto wasn’t kept in the hospital for security reasons; rather, he was kept in the Hokage tower. There was always someone with him who could control him if the Kyuubi awoke before Naruto. Yamato was with him now.

“How is he?” Kakashi asked once he shut the door behind him.

Yamato stood at his entrance. “No change. I and Inochi have tried to wake him several times a week, but there’s nothing.”

Kakashi crouched at Naruto’s bedside and put a hand on his student’s forehead. “Naruto.” He stroked his hair. The blond hair had been growing and lay limply on the pillow. “You should be Hokage, not me. Sasuke’s still out there. You have to wake up.”

No response; Naruto didn’t even flinch. “Sakura’s waiting for you and I think Sasuke fears you. I know you said that you didn’t deserve to be Hokage if you couldn’t even save your friend, but you are worthy of Hokage and there are some people you just can’t save; no one can save Sasuke.”

It was always Sasuke for Naruto. Kakashi had to wonder if his love for Sakura was just a game and he really loved Sasuke. Kakashi changed his voice to mimic Sasuke’s. “Naruto. Dobe. Usuratonkachi.” Nothing. Kakashi stroked Naruto’s forehead again. He tried Minato’s voice, not even sure Naruto would recognize it, but there was nothing. Sasuke had him deep.

_I backed the wrong horse with Sasuke. I should have focused more on you. One of us will have to kill him. But I don’t think I can._

Kakashi stood and nodded to Yamato as he left. He leaned against the wall in the corridor. There was that damn self-pity again.

Kakashi had to wonder if his self-pity was like blood in the water as he was summoned to Sasuke’s bedroom. Sasuke was perched at the foot of his bed examining Kakashi closely as he appeared and fell back from his support being ripped from him. Kakashi sat up with a glare in his eye.

“You don’t look well,” Sasuke commented.

“What do you want?”

Sasuke sat back as if to say, they were in his bedroom, what did Kakashi think he wanted?

Kakashi lowered his head. Why the hell not? He felt like shit anyway, might as well feed his self-loathing. He nodded and stood up, as if he had a choice.

They both stripped and Kakashi lay down on his back. Sasuke moved over him and kissed him, stroking Kakashi’s hip. It was almost as if they were lovers.

Kakashi shook off the young man’s lips. “Just rape me, Sasuke,” Kakashi said.

“It’s not really rape if you ask for it,” Sasuke answered with a bit of a smirk, but his eyes were dark. He moved to kiss Kakashi’s bared throat.

“Not when it’s you.”

Sasuke came up. “What’s that suppose to mean?”

Kakashi just stared into Sasuke’s black eyes. As much as he might enjoy it, he wanted nothing more than to go back in time and prevent any of this from happing, even if that meant murdering his precious student.

“Hn,” Sasuke said not getting an answer. It didn’t really matter to him anyway. “If it’s rape you want.”

Sex having become a regular thing, Sasuke forwent the stretching, just lubed up and dove in. Sasuke grabbed Kakashi’s wrists and pinned them over his head, using them for leverage as he thrust hard into Kakashi’s body over and over again, giving absolutely no regard to him. He transferred both of Kakashi’s thin wrists to one hand and put his other hand over Kakashi’s mouth, making it harder to breathe.

“Of course the only sounds I’m stopping are your moans of pleasure, isn’t that right, sensei?” Kakashi didn’t respond so Sasuke slid his hand up to cover his nose as well. “Right, sensei?” Kakashi nodded and grunted agreement. Sasuke’s hand slid back down to cover only his mouth.

Then Kakashi felt something odd. It took him several seconds to realize snakes were slithering around his wrists. Then Sasuke let go. Kakashi looked up and could see the snakes were coming from Sasuke’s shoulder. He was caught between disgust and arousal.

With his hands secured by the constricting snakes, Sasuke switched the hands he was using to cover Kakashi’s mouth. Kakashi couldn’t help trying to squirm away when he felt something other than fingers on his abdomen. More snakes were protruding from Sasuke’s other shoulder. Kakashi didn’t care for snakes. He wasn’t afraid of them, he just didn’t like them.

“I thought you wanted to be raped,” Sasuke said.

A snake coiled around Kakashi’s cock which hadn’t softened. The three others slithered over his abdomen. Two ventured further up to tease his nipples with their forked tongues. Sasuke used his left hand to brace himself on the bed and forced two fingers of his right hand into Kakashi’s mouth.

“Bite me and I’ll show you everything I can do with snakes.”

Sasuke rubbed Kakashi’s tongue with his fingers. Kakashi got the idea and started sucking on those fingers, teasing the pads with his tongue. Sasuke’s thrusts had faltered a bit, but now he got back into the brutal rhythm, throwing his head back, enjoying himself thoroughly.

The snake around Kakashi’s cock was slithering, undulating around him. Even if Sasuke wasn’t targeting his prostate, Kakashi was still getting close.

Then Sasuke leaned over him again. The wild look on his face and those dark eyes that seemed to have no whites at all in the dim light, but gleamed nevertheless, were frightening and made Kakashi cum.

The snakes all vanished as did the hand covering Kakashi’s mouth. Kakashi gasped for a proper breath as he shot rope after rope onto his stomach.

“They’re not even real,” Sasuke said. “I lost my contract with snakes when Manda died. Oh, you should have come to me when I still had the curse seal. If you get off on your own fear, you would have loved my other form. You never saw it, did you? Naruto probably told you. But he never saw it once I grew up. Demonic. Fitting, don’t you think?”

Sasuke still hadn’t cum, but he paused to watch and feel Kakashi’s orgasm. He started up again. The sensitivity of having just cam prevented Kakashi from getting hard again for a minute, but Sasuke’s thrusts still felt great. Kakashi was free of Sasuke’s hands and snakes now. He grabbed Sasuke’s sides, feeling the smooth muscle of his back and toned side abs. He tried to pull Sasuke closer. His hands migrated to his hips then his perfectly formed ass to pull him deep inside him. He wanted to lose himself in Sasuke and the pleasure he was giving him and wallow in the shame of loving it.

By the time Sasuke cam, Kakashi was hard again. Sasuke had no quam with sucking him off. Kakashi lifted his hips trying to fuck Sasuke’s mouth, but Sasuke kept raising his head along with Kakashi’s thrust, only gaining Kakashi half an inch of extra penetration before Sasuke moved. As much as he wanted to take control, he was too scared of Sasuke to try to grab him by the hair and force him further onto his cock. Kakashi fisted the bedding when he cam in Sasuke’s mouth. Sasuke didn’t drink it, but let it drip back out over Kakashi’s deflating length. Seeing Sasuke seemingly drooling cum was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Sasuke licked the remnant from his lips as if he loved the taste—and maybe he did.

Sasuke wasn’t soft, but he was tired and crawled up beside Kakashi, intending to rest while Kakashi cleaned up in preparation of going home. But Kakashi, sensing this, grabbed his wrist before he could settle down.

“Again?”

Sasuke’s eyes were wide with weariness and sexual satisfaction, but with the slight surprise in his eyes they looked wide with shock.

“Once more?” Kakashi asked.

Sasuke scoffed. “Well, that’s unexpected.” Sasuke moved back over the other with his knees between Kakashi’s legs and his hands on either side of his shoulders. “Why don’t you get me hard?”

In this position, Kakashi figured he didn’t mean with his mouth so he reached for Sasuke’s cock and began stroking it. Sasuke was still slick with lube and felt good in his hand. Sasuke was tired, using that snake jutsu during sex was not easy, especially having it come out of both shoulders. He shut his eyes and relaxed while Kakashi did the work this time.

Kakashi watched Sasuke’s face. He looked the most human when sexually sated.

Finally, Sasuke deemed himself hard enough and just fucked his willing sensei at an easy, natural pace for several minutes until Kakashi cam and then he followed a minute later.

Sasuke finally fell to the side to rest. He could pass out right now, but he had to know: “You were awfully demanding. What’s wrong?”

Kakashi couldn’t believe Sasuke cared; he probably just asked out of idle curiosity. “I had to fight three shinobi today. Konoha shinobi. They challenged me, believing I’m not fit to lead them because of my past association with you. Their leader wanted a shot at Hokage. Children. They want to directly oppose you. You would eat them all alive. I had to fight them.”

“You didn’t kill them.” It wasn’t a question so Kakashi didn’t answer. “Was this punishment enough?” Was that hurt in Sasuke’s voice?

“Or distraction. If they knew the truth . . .”

“What truth?”

Kakashi hesitated. “This.”

Sasuke gave an amused snort. “Would they pity you or just doubt your loyalty even more?”

“Even I don’t know if my loyalty’s been compromised.”

Sasuke stared at his profile for several seconds. “Neither do I.”

\-----

Sasuke never failed to surprise Kakashi. For better or worse. He didn’t know what to make of this.

Izumo ran into his office. “Sasuke’s in the village!”

“What?”

“He’s outside the hospital.”

“Has he attacked anyone or anyone attacked him?” he asked as he stood.

“Not at the time.”

Rather than run there, Kakashi used the summoning tattoo on his shoulder to appear before Sasuke. They faced off in front of the newly rebuilt Konoha hospital.

“Lord Hokage,” Sasuke said without a hint of respect. He stood there with his hand resting on the pummel of his sword which was stuck, as always, through his rope belt in the back.

“What’s going on?”

“I’ve ordered those three dissidents brought out.”

“Why? Dealing with the citizens of Konoha is my job.”

“Kakashi, you disappoint me. You’re too soft. Why do you think I let you keep that abomination of an eye? I expect you to use that eye to keep these people in line and punish them as needed with your Chidori. What they did is considered treason even by Konoha’s standards.”

Kakashi let himself openly glare at Sasuke. “You’re undermining my authority.”

“Authority I gave you. Perhaps I should have ripped that eye out as I planned.”

By this time there was quite a crowd gathering at a—potentially—safe distance. The three young shinobi were brought out. Kakashi repositioned himself to stay between Sasuke and the three chunin.

“Move, Kakashi. If you had done your job in dealing with dissidents, I wouldn’t be here.”

“They are beneath your notice. I can’t let you kill, maim, or psychologically destroy them, I need shinobi. You’ve killed enough.”

“Perhaps not enough.”

“I’ll pay for them.”

“You overestimate your own importance.”

“You underestimate my resolve.” Kakashi’s body moved slightly, he was now ready to attack or defend.

“Challenging me?”

“Opposing you. Leave them; they’ve been punished enough.”

They both took more aggressive stances and Sasuke’s Sharingan came to life. People backed away.

“Three nameless underlings are worth it to you to risk a fight with me?” Sasuke asked.

“Yes.” Kakashi’s resolve did not waver. His muscles tightened, ready to move. The thought that this man was his lover didn’t even enter his mind.

But Sasuke’s body relaxed. “Very well. I’ll not risk injury for those three. I expect future dissidents to be treated more harshly or I’ll install a Hokage who will take necessary action.”

“In future.”

“You will _pay_ for them. Later.”

Kakashi nodded. Sasuke vanished. Kakashi did not let his relief show. He turned to those who brought out the wounded trio. “Take them back in.” Kakashi walked away, ignoring everyone around him. He wondered what Sasuke was playing at.

\-----

Kakashi found out the next night when he was summoned. He found himself standing facing the side of Sasuke’s bed. Sasuke was reclining on his side, head propped on his palm, smirking.

“How’s your standing in Konoha now?”

“What?”

“Everyone now knows you do have a spine and are capable of standing up to me. You alone can reason with or challenge me.” Sasuke looked . . . pleased with himself. “That should stop any dissent.”

“The whole thing was an act?”

“I couldn’t care less about a trio of rebellious chunin. But I do expect you to do penance for them. Strip and get on your knees.”

Fear and arousal coiled in his gut. Sasuke would use this as license to be as brutal as he used to be. Sasuke stood to strip as well then sat on the side of the bed. Kakashi knelt in front of him and did what he was obviously suppose to do, but Sasuke grabbed his hair. Kakashi looked up at him. Sasuke handed him the lube.

“Prepare yourself as you blow me.”

Kakashi scowled, but took the lube and spread it on his fingers. He took Sasuke into his mouth and reached behind him to finger himself. It was humiliating as he knew Sasuke was watching him. Sasuke leaned back a bit to brace himself on one hand, the other going to Kakashi’s hair, musing it encouragingly as Kakashi tried to mimic Sasuke’s excellent technique.

Sasuke wasn’t going to let him go at his own pace though. Sasuke used his grip in Kakashi’s hair to pull him closer. The head of his cock was pressed firmly against the back of Kakashi’s throat and Sasuke didn’t let up until Kakashi repositioned to let his cock further down. Experience was the only thing keeping Kakashi from gagging, but any more and he would probably vomit. Sasuke’s hand went back to being musing rather than forceful before that happened. His throat was probably bruised though.

After the other night, Kakashi was amazed either of them could get it up, but that wasn’t a problem for them. The hand in his hair spoke of desperation and soon it was pulled away and Sasuke leaned back further using both hands to brace himself. Kakashi’d already realized that doing this turned him on between the act itself and the pleasure he forced the Ice Prince to show, but the humiliation and feeling of his fingers inside himself made him painfully hard. Without Sasuke’s hand forcing him further down his cock, Kakashi was starting to enjoy this.

Sasuke grudgingly stopped him. He pulled Kakashi up by the hair onto the bed. Sasuke took him from behind. It felt good how deep Sasuke was able to get inside him.

“I love how tight you are,” Sasuke whispered against Kakashi’s shoulder blade. “Not ruined by someone else.”

 _What?_ So Sasuke’s last lover was having sex with someone else? There was so much Kakashi wanted to know, but how to ask? Who was it? A member of his team he had with him after he killed Orochimaru? Orochimaru? Kabuto? Someone else? He hoped it was Suigetsu or that other one. But why did even that thought make something coil in his gut?

Sasuke wasn’t brutal, it was just as it normally was. But Kakashi’s mind wondered, his body remained to enjoy the sex, but his mind was elsewhere.

Sasuke. Ruined by someone else. Who had corrupted Sasuke? He was only sixteen when Sasuke trounced them all. How old had he been when he first had sex? Kakashi hoped it wasn’t against his will. Fire knifed through his heart at that thought.

He thought further back, about the boy he had once been, the boy he’d wanted to protect. That boy was well and truly dead. Itachi had killed him as surely as if he’d plunged his kodachi through his heart. Kakashi had seen Sasuke as a baby when he accompanied Minato to Fugaku’s home once back when the Uchiha were still loyal. Then he’d seen him following his older brother like a puppy when the young Jounin was running errands for his mother and either took Sasuke with him or Sasuke had just followed. That smiling, happy kid was gone forever. Sasuke was already dead. Was there even a soul behind those eyes anymore?

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he’d been spun onto his back while he was thinking. He was staring right into those black eyes. No, there was nothing there. He was being fucked by a corpse. But it wasn’t just Itachi who killed him; it had been Konoha too.

He was flooded with sympathy for Sasuke; he really had no choice in becoming what he became, being manipulated since he was eight. Ten years later how could Sasuke be anything but what his brother and Konoha and Orochimaru and Madara influenced him to be? Who could really blame him for being a murderous, vengeful, cold, emotionless, bastard?

Kakashi snaked his arms around Sasuke’s to grip his biceps. As empty as Sasuke was to him, he felt for him, felt sad for him. He wanted to pull Sasuke down and embrace him.

 _Don’t do it, idiot,_ Kakashi thought to himself. _Don’t do it._

But it was Sasuke who leaned down to kiss him. Whatever punishment Sasuke might have intended this to be, it turned into love making. Though it was a punishment of sorts to Kakashi; emotional torture. He could no longer deny he felt something for Sasuke. Kakashi threaded his fingers through Sasuke’s soft hair, kissing back with more heart than he ever had for Sakura.

Sasuke continued to rock into his body more gently now that they were locked in a kiss, but his abdomen rubbed against the underside of Kakashi’s cock with every movement. Kakashi cam hard between them and hardly noticed Sasuke doing the same a few seconds later. He fell asleep, physically and emotionally exhausted with Sasuke still inside him.


	9. A New Hokage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note (*manga/anime spoiler alert *): As I’m finishing up the final draft of this chapter, the manga is at chapter 572. I’m just going with the bijuu ran off after that fight with Naruto because it makes my life so much easier.
> 
> Also, when I started this story, Tobi was, as far as we knew, really Madara. Now of course we know Tobi is not really Madara. I’m now using some info that we learn about Tobi/Madara, but I’m having to alter it a little to fit what I’ve already written. So we’re going loosey-goosey with canon at this point.

He put Naruto into a coma, was prepared to murder Sakura, and turned Kakashi in the living embodiment of the village he loathed, but Sasuke still came home if only for a few minutes.

It’d been nearly a year and Kakashi’s standing had risen, though he barely saw it. Iruka practically dragged him out of his office to visit his class like Sandaime had and Sakura pulled him out for dinner and Gai lured him out with competitions—which he normally loathed, but at least they were some sort of physical activity. But Kakashi still only liked to leave when running with his hounds. He thought going out on missions day to day made him closer to his hounds, but he was closer to them now, counting them as his only real friends.

Kakashi was returning from an evening run when he saw Sasuke’s unmistakable silhouette at Itachi’s memorial. Lit by the full moon, he was in danger of being attacked by any number of villagers who wouldn’t hesitate if they thought they had the Uchiha in their sights and believed him distracted. Kakashi signaled for ANBU to fan out and prevent anyone from approaching the monument while Sasuke was there. It was late anyway, so it was probably safe. It wasn’t Sasuke’s safety he was worried about, but the villagers and the village.

In the year since the episode with the chunin, Kakashi’s relationship with Sasuke hadn’t changed much. But with every encounter, Kakashi couldn’t help enjoying it just a little bit more, couldn’t help touching him a little bit more. That smooth white skin and silky black hair. Those obsidian eyes. Like a snake’s eyes. Glittering onyxes. He wished he had the strength to claim him, to grab him and hold on to him, but he came to terms with the fact he could never possess Sasuke.

Kakashi watched Sasuke stand there. He was pretty sure Sasuke knew he was there, but Sasuke just stood there communing with his brother. Again, Kakashi wondered if he said the same things to his brother that Kakashi said to Obito.

It was taking a while.

Kakashi darted off for a minute and returned to find Sasuke had not moved. He appeared on the bench behind Sasuke, who still didn’t acknowledge him. “I was going to have a drink,” Kakashi said. “You’re underage, but I don’ think it applies to you. You look like you could use it.”

Sasuke was a few seconds turning. His face had sharpened a little more and he developed a habit of rubbing at the sparse stubble that was the extent his Uchiha blood would allow to grow on his face. He was finally looking like an adult. It was a bit sad to Kakashi.

Sasuke sat next to his former sensei and accepted a cup of sake. They’d become rather comfortable with one another, enough to sit and have a drink. Sasuke took a sip and winced at the taste. He looked up at the full moon.

“Ever wonder or wish this is all a dream and you’ll wake up to find your family downstairs waiting for you? I wake up sometimes thinking I’ve had the most horrible nightmare, but my brother and mother aren’t there. You have mornings like that too, don’t you?” He took another sip.

“Sometimes. I want to see my father in the morning before he leaves, but then I remember.” He took a sip. “It becomes less common as you get older.”

“Itachi was a fool. Leaving me alive had no purpose. He never saw me, he only had the knowledge I was alive. So selfish. Did he ever consider the pain I was living in? He did nothing to raise me, support me, nothing. Granted I had inherited everything. But he just had the satisfaction knowing he didn’t kill his precious little brother, every member of his family. And like I would run back here once I killed him. He told me to feed on my hate and anger; how was I ever to live a normal life? He should have killed me or . . . I don’t know. He should have killed me. He was just making sure there was someone who could kill him and salve his conscious. Bastard.” He downed the cup and held it out for a refill. “What good came of my living?”

Kakashi looked sadly at the young Uchiha and refilled his cup. “If you hadn’t been there to serve as obstacle for Naruto, he’d probably still be a class clown.” That got Kakashi a frightening look from Sasuke. “What?”

“My brother called himself an obstacle for me to overcome.”

“Forgive me, I didn’t know.”

Sasuke calmed and drank. “So I was to Naruto what Itachi was to me? You know, I sometimes liked Naruto; he was silly enough to make me smile sometimes. But I hated him more. I didn’t want to be around something so bright when I wanted the darkness. He sometimes made me forget. Every time he grew, I just felt like I was standing still. I had to leave, I had to remain ahead of him, prove that I was better than him. An Uchiha is better than some idiot. It was my pride that drove me to Orochimaru. Poetic justice, huh?” Sasuke downed the rest of the cup.

Kakashi didn’t know what Sasuke meant by that last part, but didn’t ask, knowing at this point it was the alcohol talking. He refilled Sasuke’s cup again.

Sasuke looked at the moon again. “The moon was full that night. It was full the night Madara told me the truth. That damn moon. I like looking at it when it’s full despite the bad memories. What else do I have?”

“You love Itachi but you can’t forgive him.”

“I can never forgive him. He made me into this. The elders of Konoha did this to me. Konoha did this to me. You—”

Kakashi stared at his profile.

“You—” Sasuke couldn’t finish that thought.

“Tried to stop you. Naruto, Sakura, and I tried to save you.”

“You said that you believed my letting you three live was not out of mercy, that it was a sort of revenge and you didn’t understand why, that you never hurt or offended me. You did. You gave me the third worst pain in my life: the slaughter of my clan by my brother and his words to me that night, then finding out the truth about Itachi after he was already dead, and lastly, you three.” His voice became a little wistful. “During that year—it wasn’t even quite a year, was it? It was fun. I could smile. There were times during that year when I was almost happy, maybe even actually happy. And I hate you for it.”

That made Kakashi’s hair stand on end. He finally understood Sasuke. For all the apathy and coolness he exhibited, Sasuke was in a lot of pain. They had showed Sasuke what he would never be able to have again. They were his conscious; he could have been a completely cold killer if it hadn’t been for them. He knew what he had left behind him and knew what he had chosen to deny himself for the rest of his life: happiness, friendship, laughter. Love. Sasuke resented it and choose to blame those who showed it to him almost as much as he blamed himself and those who put him on this path.

Sasuke was staring at the memorial. His cheeks were shining. He held out his cup again. Kakashi filled it. Sasuke got up and offered it as a libation to his brother, pouring it in front of the memorial. Sasuke came back to hand the cup to Kakashi. “I’m going home. Thanks for the drink. I’m sure I’ll regret it in a few hours.” And he was gone.

Kakashi sat back, nursing another cup of sake. As he drank, staring at the memorial, he realized that when he mused about why Sasuke let his old team live, he was not anywhere near Sasuke; he’d said that to Gai. Kakashi was certain that had been Gai and he was certain they’d been alone except for a pair of ANBU, Sasuke was definitely not within earshot. How had he heard that? Was a member of ANBU reporting to him? Have some kind of listening device in the office? How had Sasuke known what he’d said? Maybe he needed to get Sasuke to drink more.

\-----

It seemed like a normal summons. Kakashi appeared before Sasuke, but in his throne room; it had been a while since he’d been summoned here; it usually meant he was in trouble. Sasuke’s expression was hard, so he was sure of it.

But he sounded rather musing. “Who do you think would make a suitable Hokage?”

“Excuse me?”

“I want you to retire as Hokage. Choose a replacement.”

“Right now?”

“Well, what’s your opinion right off the top of your head?”

“In whose interest? Yours or Konoha’s?”

“Is there a difference?” Sasuke was amused.

“Shikamaru, Neji . . . neither are sympathetic to you and they are rather young. My advisors Shikaku and Hiashi. Maybe Yamato, though he won’t want the post. Can’t think of anyone else at the moment. Except Naruto.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto’s name. “Give it some thought.”

“Do you not approve of my leadership?”

“Defensive?” Sasuke was very amused. “Choose some more names. I’ll choose a replacement. Don’t tell anyone, not even your little mouse. Just bring me names.”

“I will.”

Sasuke’s eyes turned hot, but rather than sex, Kakashi suddenly found himself back in his office.

He sat down and rubbed his face. His assistant had gotten used to Kakashi disappearing and reappearing; Yoshi barely jumped when Kakashi reappeared.

“Hokage-sama?”

“Sasuke’s being his unpredictable self.” He looked down at the cat sunning himself as always. It had come back soon after he and Sasuke had killed those missing-nins. Often it would just stretch out on the floor, but now it was curled up asleep on the pillow put there for it. Kakashi would miss the lazy sack of fur.

Being replaced . . . What did this mean for Kakashi?

\-----

Kakashi got his answer two days later when Sasuke surprised him by arriving in his office. Yoshi looked like he would keel over. Sasuke turned to him. “Leave.” Yoshi gladly obeyed. “ANBU as well.” Their presence only vanished after Kakashi nodded.

“You have names for me.”

Kakashi opened a drawer and took out the files of all those he thought would be capable of being Hokage. He gave them to Sasuke. Sasuke brought a chair over from the wall to sit in front of Kakashi’s desk, giving an amused glance at the pillow on the floor. He read through them quickly with his Sharingan.

“Yamato. He’s the only one I think would be suitable.” He shut the files. “Now, you probably wonder what I intend for you. You will be staying at my side for now on. I will use you as a messenger and however else I see fit. You have a week to prep Yamato and put your affairs in order. You will not be coming back.”

Kakashi felt his spine tingle and blood drain from his head. “Understood.”

“It would probably be best not to let anyone know about this until the last moment or leave it for the new Hokage. If people ask, I no longer trust you, you’ve proven to be too defiant.”

“Is any of that true?”

“Of course not.” Sasuke stood. “My reasons are my own. Call it a whim. But you have led Konoha into an unexpected era of prosperity. Even if you hardly notice it.” Sasuke dropped the files on Kakashi desk as he vanished.

Kakashi sat back. He thought about that huge, cold fortress. To live there alone with Sasuke . . . It may be a hell he reached before his death or it might end up being a nice escape from the world. He’d shut everyone out, it would be nice to be alone. His dread gave way to ambivalence. No matter what, he would make the best of it. But how to tell Sakura.

\-----

Before he had to tell Sakura, he had to tell Yamato.

“Huh? Did he say why me?” Yamato asked as he stood in front of Kakashi’s desk.

“He just said you would be the most suitable.”

“I have no choice, do I?”

“Not really. You can try objecting. I have known Sasuke to be somewhat accommodating at times, but his mind is not easily changed.”

Yamato looked uncomfortable. “You never asked how I escape from that fortress.”

“No. No one really wants to relive the war.”

“It was Sasuke who released me.” That perked Kakashi’s interest. “There’s nothing much to tell. It wasn’t until he came back with prisoners and he found me there. He didn’t lock me up, just told me to get out. I didn’t know what had been going on and I didn’t realize what Sasuke had done or that he had so many captives. Though I thought I should have done something to bring him back or kill him, I was weak and needed to know what was going on with the war and where Naruto was after that attack. I was stunned that after what he did he just let me go.”

“Sasuke’s unpredictable at the best of times.”

“Maybe he thinks I own him now.”

“I don’t think so. Just obey him. He doesn’t really ask for much from the village, at least he hasn’t. My only advice, either get a good sparring partner or force ANBU to let you go out on missions every once in a while. This office can become claustrophobic; I don’t care how big the windows are.”

\-----

The day before he had to leave, Kakashi picked up the bouquet his assistant had bought for him and took one last look out his window. Sasuke was right: during his reign as Hokage the village was rebuilt and never looked as good as it did now with new buildings and no hint of dirt or decay or neglect. Missions were coming in and the village had money in the treasury. After Sasuke’s little play in front of the village he never heard another hint of dissent. Things were well in the village; he could leave with a clear conscious that he had done his duty to the village.

He left early and was glad to find Sakura in their rooms. Kakashi hid the bouquet behind his back.

“You’re done early?” she asked.

“I took the afternoon off.” He came up behind her and pulled the flowers out and held them up in front of her as he put his free arm around her waist. She took them and gave them a sniff followed by a satisfied sigh.

“They’re lovely.”

Kakashi put his other arm around her too. “Let’s go out to dinner. We can go anywhere you want and do anything you want. I’ll take you anywhere and get you anything. I want tonight to be perfect.” He gave her neck a kiss.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Do I need one? I know I’ve been depressed and a grump. I want to give you a perfect night; anything you want. I was thinking dinner at the best restaurant then a walk through the village, go up on top of the cliff to enjoy the view, then come home and spend some time alone.”

“That sounds lovely.” She turned her head to kiss him and he released her enough that she could turn completely in his arms and deepen the kiss.

They followed Kakashi’s plan. As they strolled through the village, Kakashi bought anything that caught Sakura’s fancy and his mood was lighter than it had been since before the war. Sakura was truly happy as they sat above the village and took in the starry sky and the lights of the village, unburdened as an ANBU had relieved them of their purchases and took them home for them. She leaned against her lover with his arm tightly around her.

They went home and he made love to her just as she loved; his every move perfect. After four orgasms to his one—which she didn’t even notice—she was too sleepy to even get up to clean up. She turned onto her side and Kakashi spooned her.

“Did you enjoy tonight?” he asked.

“It was perfect. I love you.”

“I love you. Thank you for everything; you’ve made this position tolerable. You don’t have a mission tomorrow so you can sleep in.”

“Hmmm, good.”

Kakashi hardly slept. He was glad he could make Sakura happy before he had to leave, but he was dreading the next day. She may never forgive him, or Sasuke, for this.

\-----

Sakura woke up when Kakashi got up. “I have to go in for a while, but I’ll be back. Go back to sleep.”

Sakura hummed and did so. Kakashi made a few shadow clones to pack his things as he got dressed then went to his office; he didn’t have much time.

Yamato was waiting for him. “I’m really sorry about this Tenzou, but I think your term will be easier than mine. Whatever my role is to be with Sasuke, I’ll do everything I can to ease your burden and protect Konoha.”

“I don’t like this, any of this. What does he want with you?”

“I don’t know. I may never come back. I trust you, I think you’ll do well. Is there anything you want to ask me or anything before we go?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Kakashi nodded. “I’m going to say goodbye to Sakura then use this seal to summon myself to Sasuke. He’ll summon you at some point after that; be ready.”

“I will. In case we don’t have another opportunity . . .” Yamato held out a hand. “Goodbye, sempai. It’s been a honor to be counted among your friends.”

Kakashi took the younger ex-ANBU’s hand. “Goodbye, Tenzou. It’s been a pleasure to have you as a friend.”

Kakashi returned to his rooms. His clones had finished and dispelled before Sakura had gotten up. She was just finishing her normal routine when he returned. He was glad she was somewhat awake, but dread still coiled in his stomach.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Sakura said. “Want some breakfast?”

“No, thank you. Let me make it for you.”

She chuckled. “I love you, but you’re not the best cook.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

She started making herself food. “Did you take the day off then?”

“Sort of.” His shoulder tingled. Sometimes it annoyed him, but he often was able to ignore it. Somehow it was almost reassuring this morning. “I have some time before I have to go.”

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?”

“Yeah. I don’t feel like I could eat.”

“Are you sick?”

“No, but not hungry.”

She looked skeptical, but didn’t continue to question him. They sat at the table and chatted while she ate. She could tell his mood had fallen since last night so she tried to lift it. Kakashi tried to act happier, but it was hard knowing what he was about to do to her. He was glad that she hadn’t notice things missing like the framed photographs of Team Minato and Team Seven. This was going to be hard no matter what.

Finally, after she was finished with her meal, he cleared the table for her and cleaned up.

“It’s kind of funny seeing the Hokage doing something as mundane as the dishes,” Sakura said. She’d joked about it before, but she wanted to lift the mood.

“It’s not something people consider.” He finished and dried his hands. He leaned back against the counter and looked at her. “Of course, the Hokage isn’t.”

“What do you mean?” She was genuinely confused.

“I’m no longer Hokage.”

Sakura blinked a few times and felt blood rush from her head, but she didn’t faint; she was thrown completely for a loop. “What?”

“Sasuke’s ordered me replaced. Yamato is now the Hokage. I’m presenting him to Sasuke today. And I’m not coming back.”

She was beyond speaking now. “Huh?”

“Sasuke’s ordered that I stay with him for now on. Probably wants to keep a closer eye on me. I’m taking only a few things with me; do what you want with the rest. I’m also leaving you all my money, though it’s not much. It’s all yours.”

She shook her head a little in confusion. “Wha—Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t want a drawn out farewell. I’m sorry. He only told me a week ago. I may never see you again. I wanted to make you happy just once before I left. Last night was the best I’d ever be able to do.”

“Will he kill you?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t know what he wants of me.” Kakashi approached her and kissed her. “Find someone else; someone younger than me. Goodbye.”

He was turning to pick up his bags. “No. You’re not leaving.”

“It’s not my choice.”

“Let me talk to Sasuke.”

“You know he wants to kill you. Don’t tempt him.”

“But I love you.”

“That means nothing to Sasuke. He’s sort of like a spoiled brat: what he wants, he takes with no regard to anyone or anything. And he can because he’s a brat with the ability to kill any who stands in his way. I don’t want you getting anywhere near Sasuke ever again.”

“I can’t lose you.”

Kakashi put a hand to her cheek and kiss her lightly on the lips. “I love you, but I should have never indulged in this relationship: I’m far too old for you and knew I could never truly make you happy.”

She wanted to refute him, but she couldn’t find any words to do so. Finally, she said, “Sasuke left me, he took my master from me, he took Naruto away from me, and now he’s taking you from me. I don’t know what I’ll do if you leave.”

“I have no choice. You can stay here for a while. Yamato will make sure you have a place to go. You can have some time off if you want. Spend more time with your friends and fall in love with someone more suitable than an old man.”

“You’re not that old, sensei.”

“But that’s just it: I _am_ your sensei. I love you, but I shouldn’t have let this happen. Forgive me. I have to leave.”

Kakashi pulled away from her, pulled up his mask, shouldered a backpack, took up his two bags of possessions in one hand, and with the other hand activated the seal on his shoulder. He was gone.

Kakashi found himself in Sasuke’s bedroom. Sasuke looked up from where he was meditating on the floor. Kakashi dropped his bags and actually felt relieved. Sasuke said nothing but led Kakashi to his desolate throne room. Sasuke sat down in his throne and Kakashi took his position flanking him.

Sasuke used his time/space jutsu to teleport Yamato to stand a few meters in front of him.

“I hope you won’t try to betray me as much as this one did,” Sasuke began. He then told Yamato everything he felt the new Hokage needed to know like the scroll to summon him in case of emergencies or when responding to one of Sasuke’s ‘requests.’ Kakashi just stared at the ground in front of Yamato while Sasuke spoke imperiously. He wondered what Sakura would do, what she was doing right now. Probably crying. But he did feel immensely relieved.

Sasuke finished his briefing of what he expected from the new Hokage and sent Yamato home without much warning. _Get used to it,_ Kakashi thought.

Sasuke stood and faced him. He snatched the Konoha headband from Kakashi’s forehead and flung it away. Kakashi kept his left eye tightly shut. “Just wear the eye patch for now on. I have work to do. Settle in. The places you’re forbidden from entering are obvious. Enter and you will die. You can go outside if you want.”

And with that, Sasuke picked up his sword and left Kakashi alone in the throne room. Kakashi put on the eye patch, picked up his headband, and made his way back to the bedroom to unpack. He immediately noticed the second dresser. It looked new rather than scavenged from another room.

Kakashi didn’t have much, filling only the first two drawers with clothes. He slipped his headband under his clothes along with his Jounin uniform. The third drawer was all weapons and scrolls.

He stared at the last two items—beside his beloved novels: the photographs of Team Minato and Team Seven. Sasuke probably wouldn’t mind the first photograph being left on top of the dresser, but he might object to the second. Kakashi gave each picture a long look before putting them in the fourth and last drawer with his folded up bags and his books.

Kakashi’d given the room a cursory look before, but now it was his home. Upon entering the room to one’s left there was a small table with a single chair very close to the same wall as the door. The left wall, past where the table stood in the corner, had the door that led to the bathroom and its spacious shower stall and luxurious ofuro. On the other side of the bathroom door was a display of weapons, available to grab or summon. The wall opposite the main door now had two dressers whereas there was only the one before. Then there was a closet. Kakashi had hung only two things in there, keeping his things far away from Sasuke’s.

The bed was centered against the last wall, small night stands on either side, a lamp on the one closest to the door on Sasuke’s side of the bed. The only other light was over the table. Kakashi could see that the large light that hung over the table had once been in the dead center of the room; Sasuke had moved it. It was on a dimmer dial rather than a switch and Sasuke always kept the light on the dimmer side. The walls and ceiling were burgundy and the natural stone floor was a darker shade. Sasuke left his meditation mat centered in the empty space beyond the foot of the bed.

Beyond the weapons and the mat, there was nothing personal about the room. At least Kakashi had always had those two photographs, a few books, a few paintings, and a houseplant. The houseplant would die down here, but he may be able to smuggle a painting or two in here and see if Sasuke would allow them or burn them.

It was still early afternoon. Kakashi grabbed some weapons and headed for Sasuke’s training room. He finished after two hours and took a shower. He was hungry and hadn’t seen Sasuke since they parted in the throne room. The Uchiha had to have a kitchen somewhere. Redressed in his mask/sleeveless-shirt and gray pants, he sat on the bed, bored. And hungry. He could go explore and look for a kitchen, but he didn’t want to miss Sasuke; the kid had to eat.

Kid? He was eighteen or nineteen now; Kakashi had lost track of time a while ago. He wondered if he would ever stop thinking of Sasuke as a kid. An arrogant, temperamental, bratty, kid.

Kakashi stared at the meditation mat. Sasuke really didn’t seem the type to him, never remembered Sasuke meditating before. Then again, perhaps that was the only way he could hold onto his sanity with Orochimaru. If he had held onto his sanity, which Kakashi wasn’t confident about.

Said potential basket case opened the door. The person opening it was actually a clone, Sasuke came in behind him carrying a tray.

“I’m going to work through dinner. Here’s yours.” The clone took a plate from the tray and put it on the table. “Just leave it when you’re done.”

Sasuke and his clone left with the second plate. That just seemed odd. Kakashi walked over and cautiously looked at the plate; he feared what Sasuke’s cooking would be like. He was surprised: it looked descent. Ravenous, Kakashi didn’t hesitate to attack the dish. Sweet and sour chicken—more on the sour side than sweet—with steamed rice. It was good. He figured with the Sharingan it was easy to learn to cook.

Bored, clean, moved-in, and feed, Kakashi turned out the overhead light, turned on Sasuke’s lamp, took out one of his books, and lay down to read. It was early, but what else was there to do? He didn’t feel like exploring today. Sasuke might put him to work tomorrow, so he lounged today. It wasn’t long before he put the book aside, turned out the light, and snuggled down in the bed. He did love this bed; it lulled him to sleep quickly. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

\-----

Kakashi didn’t wake up when Sasuke came to bed, but he did when Sasuke sat up. Sasuke looked like a zombie, heavy-lidded and irritated. He growled and started his morning routine. Kakashi smirked at Sasuke’s hatred of mornings. He wasn’t sure how long he’d slept, what time it was, or what time he fell asleep, but he was rested so he got up too.

“Train first or eat?” Sasuke asked, still not fully awake.

Kakashi was a little afraid to spar with Sasuke when he was this grumpy, however . . . “Train.”

The activity woke Sasuke and he didn’t try to kill Kakashi. Having worked up an appetite, they showered and changed quickly—Sasuke blessedly not attempting anything sexual while they shared the shower. Finally, Sasuke was going to lead him to the illusive kitchen. But Sasuke didn’t. Rather Sasuke transported them somewhere else.

From the material the room was made of and the smell of the air, they were no longer in the fortress. They were in a rather homey, well used kitchen/dining room. Sasuke pulled a bell rope and they waited. Sasuke took a seat at the table, crossing his arms and shut his eyes. Kakashi sat and looked around. A well stocked kitchen, nothing special about it. The walls were brick, the kind used for sewers, yet the air was clean and didn’t smell like a sewer. They were underground however. But he did smell something on the air that interested him: cats.

Before he could think too deeply about the cats, a girl about Sasuke’s age came in. She smiled at Kakashi. “You must be Kakashi-san,” she said in a cheery voice. “Sasuke-kun said he’d be bringing another mouth to feed. I’m Tamaki.”

“Pleasure.” He was shocked anyone so . . . normal was associated with the gloomy Uchiha.

Tamaki started working on food. Sasuke sat like a statue. Kakashi was uncomfortable just sitting there. “Can’t I help you?”

“No, thanks.”

So he just sat there. Breakfast didn’t take long to make and Sasuke finally moved when it was done. Tamaki didn’t eat with them, but she sat down.

“So, you were Sasuke-kun’s sensei?”

Kakashi looked to Sasuke, but he was completely ignoring them both, concentrating on eating.

“Yes. It was only for a year, but I trained him when he was fresh from the academy.”

“I heard you taught him his Chidori, that it was your original technique.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s so nice to have someone else to talk to; Sasuke never says anything so I usually leave him alone or he takes his food and runs.”

Sasuke was still not listening. Since he didn’t seem to care what they were talking about . . .

“How do you know Sasuke?” Kakashi asked.

Tamaki looked to Sasuke and Sasuke deigned to look at her briefly, but then went back to ignoring her.

“My grandmother’s worked for the Uchiha clan all her life and now I make sure the last of the clan is well fed.”

“It’s very good.”

“Thank you.”

“Did you make the meal from last night too?”

“I did. Sasuke can cook—I’ve seen him—but he usually has me do it.”

“It was excellent.”

She smiled broadly. “It’s nice to get a complement once in a while.” She looked at Sasuke who continued to ignore her. “He’s luckily I know that if he doesn’t say anything, it means it’s good, otherwise I’d whack him in the duck butt every time he visits.”

Kakashi couldn’t help laughing. Sasuke didn’t react.

He and Tamaki chatted while he and Sasuke ate. Sasuke nursed his drink while Kakashi finished up.

“Does Neko-baa have anything for me?” Sasuke asked when Kakashi was finished.

“To get what you want, you’ll need some other things to trade for them.” Tamaki took out a sheet of paper and gave it to Sasuke. “Once we have these things, we can fill your order.”

Sasuke grimaced. “Will they take cash instead of these items?”

“You don’t have enough. It’s not my fault you need expensive materials.”

“Fine. I’ll get them or something equitable.”

“Try large, flawless diamonds.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He stood up and Kakashi did the same.

“Thank you,” Kakashi said to Tamaki. She smiled and the pair vanished.

\-----

Sasuke didn’t give him anything to do so Kakashi explored. Empty rooms. Corridor after corridor of empty rooms. If there had been anything here, Sasuke had gotten rid of it. Then he found the areas that were definitely off limits. The large seals in black ink threatened death by many manners of painful deaths. As far as Kakashi could tell they were attuned to Sasuke’s chakra alone. He mentally mapped these areas. Madara no doubt had planned to build an impressive palace once he executed his Moon’s Eye plan, but he never got that chance.

Kakashi wondered upward. He found a path that led to the top of the cliff overlooking the crater of giant bones and surrounded by beautiful forest. Even the bones had a beauty of their own. He liked it here actually. It was quiet and the air was fresh. After so long without going out on missions, he missed the dark of night in the forest, the stars, clean air without the smells of cooking, and the feeling of being alone. Even being a graveyard, this place was peaceful. He wondered if it was peaceful for Madara and Sasuke as well, maybe that’s why they stayed here. He enjoyed the sunset on the cliff before he went back down.

And he went further down. He carried a lantern down to the lowest levels, passing the cells where he and the others were kept after they surrendered to Sasuke. He stopped dead when he came to the lowest level. The statue that had housed the stolen tailed beasts was there. It was partially destroyed and listing to one side. He noticed that there was cavern under the statue. His shoulder burned as he carefully dropped down to this deeper cavern. The floor was covered in ash. Thick ash. It was kicked up by his descent, but it was mixed in the air by every small air current that entered this basement room making the air hazy. He looked around and saw evidence that this room once held quite a bit of water. There was also evidence of flames. Someone—most likely Sasuke—had burned whatever was down here, even evaporating the water. Sasuke had serialized this place.

Kakashi jumped back up to the upper room where the statue was and examined it. Pieces were cut away. Not jarred off by an explosion or knocked off by being hit by debris, it was sliced off by a sword. Sasuke had destroyed something purposely. Kakashi knew the seven bijuu that Madara had stolen were set free by Naruto when he battled Madara so the statue was empty.

What was down here that Sasuke destroyed?

\-----

Sasuke was lounging in his throne, staring off into space, his attention elsewhere, pulling at his lip distractedly when he heard one of the spheres he had for communication with his villages disappear. The green one. Konoha. Sasuke rolled his eyes and decided to go himself right now. Not even two days. Looks like he might have to hand hold the new Hokage.

Yamato was started by Sasuke’s prompt arrival. “Sasuke-sama, forgive me, but Sakura has been demanding to speak with you. I sent her away because I didn’t think you’d respond so quickly.”

“About Kakashi.”

“Yes.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Bring her here, I’ll see her.” Sasuke teleported back to his throne room.

When Sakura arrived in Yamato’s office, she was immediately transported to Sasuke. He was reclining in his throne with a leg hanging over an armrest, his head cradled between the back and the wing. Despite the apathetic pose, he oozed imperiousness. Sakura almost felt like this was a completely different person from the one she once knew. His eyes were cold and disinterested as if he’d never known her.

“You wanted to speak to me?”

“Please let Kakashi come home, he’s all I have left, Sasuke-k—san.”

Rage rushed through Sasuke’s bloodstream. “Are your parents still alive?” his tone was hard, but even.

Confused, she answered, “Yes.”

“What about Ino, Kiba, Neji, Lee, and the others? None of them are dead, are they?”

“No.”

“You have a village, parents, friends. I’ve taken one person from you and you have nothing? That’s one reason you could never understand us. Not Naruto, not Kakashi, and certainly not me. Naruto never had anyone, he was always alone. Kakashi was probably too young to remember his mother before she died and his father was driven to suicide by your beloved village. And my entire clan was wiped out by that same village. None of us have a single blood relative left in the world. How can you say to me that you have nothing left? _We_ have nothing left.”

Sakura was chagrined. “I love him.”

“You loved me. You even confessed to Naruto. Yes, I heard about that. Now you love Kakashi? He’s a decade older than you. Are you so desperate for protection, you cling to an older man? Or was it the protection of the Hokage that you craved?”

“I really love him. I really loved you. I lied to Naruto. I did need to feel safe, but I love him too. Please, Sasuke, give him back.”

“No. I have a use for him. And, quite frankly, that eye makes me nervous. I want him tighter under my control. I’m keeping him here. Anything else you wanted to chat about?”

It took Sakura a moment to recover herself. “What did Kakashi do to save my life? He wouldn’t tell me.”

Sasuke’s smirk was frightening. “I think he thought it a small price at the time, but he’s realized it wasn’t; he sold his soul to me.”

Sakura suddenly found herself back in the Hokage’s office.

“Did I . . . ?” She stood there stunned. Yamato came toward her, worried that Sasuke had done something. Sakura sank to her knees. She wondered if she was the reason Kakashi had to suffer. Perhaps, if he hadn’t tried to save her, Sasuke would have left Kakashi alone. She didn’t notice Yamato holding her as she cried.

\-----

Sasuke was in their room when Kakashi came back. He sitting at the single table and was consulting papers and scrolls as he wrote.

“Sasuke, what was in the lowest level?”

Sasuke didn’t look up. “Been down there, have you? That is where the Zetsus were created. I used Amaterasu to destroy the rest of Madara’s army.”

“And the statue? It held the bijuu, didn’t it?”

“It did.”

“Keeping it for some reason?”

“No. I’m not so arrogant to try to become the Jinchûriki of the ten tails or a Jinchûriki at all. I’ve already had an evil, unpleasant soul inside me.”

Kakashi released a small laugh and Sasuke looked up and surprised Kakashi by smiling. “Having Orochimaru wasn’t all bad as long as he kept quiet. He had remarkable healing abilities. Most of his jutsu I learned, but he had unique abilities that even I couldn’t imitate.”

Sasuke returned his attention to his work. “No, I just keep the statue because it would take too much unnecessary energy to completely destroy it. I’m not worried about others using it as you need the Rinnegan. I should deal with it eventually though. Perhaps that should be one of your duties; you can test your most powerful jutsu against it. Turn it to dust.”

“I’ll do it; I don’t want anyone even thinking of attempting Madara’s plans again.”

“No hurry. I’m not worried about it; I destroyed all the Rinnegans.”

However, Madara had revealed that the Rinnegan was yet another step in the evolution of the Sharingan. Sasuke had the potential of awaking it, or perhaps already had. Or he may not even know of it. Kakashi was wise enough not to mention it. “Do you have any other duties for me?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Why did you bring me here? You have nothing for me to do.”

He thought Sasuke wasn’t going to answer as it took a few second for him to reply. “It takes a lot of chakra to send you back. Although it sort of invalidates all the work I put into that seal. I wrote that thing from scratch; took me nearly a month. I thought it was masterful job until I learned of your ability to summon yourself to me.”

“It also has a tendency to burn and ache.”

Sasuke’s head snapped up to look at him. “Really? When?”

“Random times; I’ve not noticed a pattern. It was burning a little while I was investigating the basement.”

Sasuke’s brow furrowed. “Let me know if it bothers you again. I assure you, that was not intentional.” He looked at his work. “I do have you here, I should utilize you.”

“Did you really bring me here for no real reason? A whim?”

Sasuke scowled at him. “I will have a message for you to deliver later. I’ll give you the option of me transporting you or go on foot. It’s going to the Mizukage.”

“That’s a little far.”

“Very well, I’ll send you there. I thought you might enjoy some time by yourself out there.”

“I would, but I don’t relish having to cross that much water.”

“Ah. I might need you to negotiate. I’m putting together the list. She will not be happy.”

“Splendid first assignment.”

Sasuke nodded. “Don’t let her kill you; that acid jutsu can be a bitch.”

\-----

After being briefed by Sasuke the next day, Kakashi was sent to the Mizukage’s office. She stood and her ANBU were immediately around Kakashi, ready to strike. Kakashi put his hands up.

“Hey, hey, I’m just a messenger.”

“I heard you were replaced as Hokage,” Mei said. ANBU backed off.

“Seems I did too good of a job of restoring Konoha. I’ve been demoted; I’m Sasuke’s errand boy now.”

“What does that little bastard want now?” Kakashi handed the list to one of the ANBU who passed it to his Kage. “Shit. What the hell does he want with these things?”

“He doesn’t tell me anything.”

“How about the consequences if I tell him to go fuck himself?”

“When he gets bored he hunts and butchers gangs of bandits. If he were angry . . .”

“Fine, fine.”

As Mei continued to examine the list, a small white cat jumped up to sit on her shoulder. It purred and looked Kakashi right in the eye then meowed happily at him.

Kakashi was reminded of the cat in his old office and then the cats he smelled in Tamaki’s kitchen. His suspicions were aroused. “You like cats?” he asked.

“She sort of adopted me,” Mei said, looking away from the list and scratching the cat’s neck. She sighed. “I’ll have most of it ready for him in a week, but some of this is difficult even for me to get a hold of. How are you holding up, living with that bastard?”

“He’s left me alone for the most part. This is my first task for him.”

“I think he had you come here instead of him because he was afraid I’d melt him; I nearly got him in the Land of Iron. I’ll get these things for him if he doesn’t bother me with these requests again for the rest of the year. He’s asking a lot from us this time.”

“I think he’ll be fine with that since it is a large order.”

“And he has four other villages to soak.”

“Hai.”

“One week.”

Kakashi nodded and prepared to summon himself back to Sasuke.

“If you find a weakness we can exploit, you will let us know,” Mei said.

“Of course. Sasuke’s cautious, but I’ll remain alert.” Kakashi returned to throne room. “She will comply if you don’t make any other requests for the rest of the year.”

“That is acceptable.”

“I assume you’ll be sending me to all the villages with such lists.”

“Indeed. But not now. I have to figure out who can get what.”

“I could help you with that.”

“Board? I’m not about to let you that far into my plans.”

“What is it you want? What are you planning?”

“These things are not to subjugate the world more than I have or wipe them all out or arm my own personal army as you all fear. Nothing diabolical. Leave me to my . . . hobbies. In the end I want nothing. I don’t want anything at all.”

“There must be something. Why are you doing this then?”

“There is nothing I desire. I do enjoy seeing them all cringe and crawl; that’s why I do it. But there’s no other reason. I don’t need wealth or extravagance or numerous lovers or real power. Revenge _has_ left me empty. There is nothing I want and there is no purpose to anything of this except to see them fear me.”

Kakashi couldn’t help feeling some pity for him.

“As for why I demand so many things of the Kage, I’ve continued a few of Orochimaru’s experiments, the ones I deemed worthwhile. But my interests and his are far different. As are my methods.”

“That at least is reassuring to hear. I’m glad you didn’t keep your captives to use the way Orochimaru did.”

“What would you know about that?” Sasuke proved his unpredictability by becoming suddenly angry.

“It’s common knowledge that Orochimaru used human Guinea pigs.”

“I’m nothing like Orochimaru,” Sasuke growled. “And you know nothing about what went on his labs and prisons.”

Kakashi took a step back. “Of course; forgive me.” Kakashi feared he’d be walking on eggshells for the rest of his—no doubt short—life.

“Don’t ever mention his name again.”

“I won’t.” But now Kakashi was curious: what kind of experiments did Orochimaru conduct on Sasuke? He thought Orochimaru would leave him mostly alone since he wanted Sasuke’s body, that he would want Sasuke undamaged. But Sasuke’s reaction seemed to say otherwise.

“I’m not interested in his biological experiments; we’ll leave it at that. Did the Mizukage require assurance that I would leave her alone, or did she already agree?”

“She agreed.”

“Very well. Get out.”

“Hai.” Kakashi decided to return to the sanctuary of their bedroom, one of the only warm and welcome places inside the fortress. He would have to find somewhere else to make livable to survive this new life.

Later that night, Sasuke ignored him, sleeping with his back like a wall between them. Temperamental little shit.

\-----

Kakashi ran the other messages on foot. Even the sands of the Wind Country were preferable to staying in the fortress with Sasuke still cold to him. And it wasn’t just the Great Shinobi Nations, he also had to go to the other smaller nations, but Sasuke wanted far less from them. Konoha was the only shinobi village he hadn’t visited.

After being cooped up in the Hokage tower for so long without missions and only weekly runs with his pack, the transcontinental message running was tiring. As before, Kakashi sought out Sasuke’s chakra the moment he entered the fortress, but Sasuke wasn’t to be found this time. Just as well. Kakashi went to the bedroom. If he wasn’t sharing a bed with a volatile bedfellow, he would have gone straight to bed, but under the circumstance he took a shower first.

Kakashi sought Sasuke’s chakra again once he finished his shower. Nothing. He went to bed. The bastard could wake him when he turned up.

They hadn’t had sex since Kakashi moved in. Kakashi enjoyed the time alone out in the wilderness, but he was actually missing Sasuke. He’d come home, get a night of sleep, and a good shower then Sasuke sent him out again. Kakashi hoped for a nice long sleep.

The next thing Kakashi knew Sasuke was hitting him with a pillow. “If you want to eat, get up.”

Kakashi snarled softly. Living with Sasuke was rubbing off on him. That and he was sure he hadn’t slept very long, maybe five minutes.

Sasuke meditated while Kakashi dressed. He wasn’t very deep as he got up the moment Kakashi was ready. And they were in Tamaki’s kitchen. Kakashi was surprised to see food ready on the table.

“Any problems with Iwa?” Sasuke asked.

“They will comply.”

“Hn. Eat. I have business with Neko-baa.”

Sasuke left him alone. Kakashi sat down and realized that his dinner(?) consisted of salt-broiled saury and miso soup with eggplant, his favorites. Sasuke might as well have presented him with Donburi*. Sasuke wasn’t just a brat. There was even sake sitting next to his tea.

“Itadakimasu.” Kakashi dug in with relish.

After that meal and a small bottle of sake, Kakashi cleaned his dishes and then promptly fell asleep with his head cradled in his arms on the table.

He awoke to Sasuke taking a swipe at his hair. “We’re going home.”

Kakashi stood up to avoid landing on his ass when they arrived home. The bedroom. Kakashi looked at the bed with adoration.

“Get some real sleep; I have work to do.”

At least Sasuke wasn’t sending him out again. In truth Kakashi didn’t expect to be sent to Konoha; Sasuke rarely turned to Konoha for goods for some reason. The bed felt like heaven when he crawled in. He hoped Sasuke let him sleep this time. But there was something important he should have remembered to investigate at Tamaki’s, but he could not remember as sleep descended upon him. He was too tired to care.

\-----

Sasuke didn’t wake him. He was meditating on the floor when Kakashi got up. Kakashi found it uncomfortable to be in a room with someone who completely ignored him like that, but he went about his normal routine. When he finished, Sasuke was still sitting there with his eyes shut. Nothing to do and hungry, Kakashi considered what to do while Sasuke was communing with his inner self or some other bullshit.

His stomach growling and not being able to stand being around the silent, unmoving figure, Kakashi finally spoke. “How long are you going to do that?”

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at him. “Usually as long as I can.”

“Well if you had a well stocked kitchen I or something for me to do on a regular basis, I wouldn’t interrupt you.”

“We’ll train first.”

They were both a little rusty, not having sparred or done battle for weeks now, but after a bit of a warm up, they were nearly killing each other like professionals again.

The shower was much more interesting. Seemed Kakashi was definitely not the only one missing the sex. Sasuke pushed Kakashi against the shower wall and latched onto his neck, biting him hard enough to draw blood. Though there was no one to prove possession to, Kakashi took it to be purely a territorial thing. Then Sasuke started rubbing his cock against the taller man’s thigh, consequently rubbing his stomach against Kakashi’s growing erection.

Kakashi pushed himself away from the wall with Sasuke’s added weight and force so he could lean back a little lower to accommodate Sasuke’s smaller stature. He was rewarded by Sasuke nibbling at his lips and taking both their erections in his hand to jerk them off together.

That was one thing about life in this fortress: time had no meaning. They could stand here in the shower until the water ran out. There were no pressing appointments, no set meal schedule, no bedtime, no one to answer to except perhaps each other. There wasn’t even a clock in this godforsaken place. They could take as long as they wanted.

Sasuke kissed him and Kakashi kissed back lazily. Sasuke sucked on his lower lip as he rocked his hips into his own hand and Kakashi’s cock. Sasuke used the slim space between them to trail his fingers down Kakashi’s abdomen.

For the first time Kakashi considered that no matter how much Sasuke may actually hate him, he was at the very least attracted to him. Humiliating him in exchange for Sakura’s life was one thing, to make him his exclusive lover was quite another. And it was one thing to order him to submit to him or just rape him, it was another to kiss him like this and drag his fingertips across his skin. And twice Sasuke had backed off. Then there was the fact they shared a bedroom. Sasuke hadn’t given him a different room or a cell, he gave him his own luxurious bed.

Kakashi grabbed one of Sasuke’s hips to pull him closer. Sasuke blindly reached for something to use as lube and ended up with a palm full of shampoo. He reached between Kakashi’s legs to prep him. Two fingers and he couldn’t wait anymore.

“Turn around.”

Kakashi did so. Sasuke entered him and took him fast and hard, but the angle was awkward because of the height difference. Sasuke hated fucking standing up.

“Fuck this.” Sasuke pulled out and forced Kakashi to turn around. He grabbed the soap to clean anything that might have clung to his cock and the shampoo, then he pushed Kakashi down to his knees. Kakashi got to work. Sasuke growled low in his throat.

“Fuck, you’re getting good at that.”

Kakashi couldn’t help relishing the compliment. He loved seeing Sasuke like this, loved the fact he was forcing the Uchiha to lean forward to brace himself on the wall, loved the moan that escape his throat, loved the expression on that normally blank face.

Sasuke pressed his hips forward until he trapped Kakashi’s head against the wall. Kakashi swallowed reflexively against the intrusion and tried to breathe through Sasuke’s wet pubes. He was relieved when he felt cum splash against the back of his throat. Sasuke took a moment to pull back, letting his cock deflate slightly inside Kakashi’s mouth.

Kakashi waited until Sasuke stepped away to stand up. He didn’t like the mischievous look on Sasuke face: he was considering leaving Kakashi hanging. But they both knew Sasuke genuinely enjoyed falatio. He dropped to his knees and sucked Kakashi off. Kakashi looked down at Sasuke’s shut eyes and stretched lips. His head went back as Sasuke tongued his weeping slit.

Sasuke teased the flair of his cock with his tongue, licking the back of it while sucking then putting his tongue against the roof of his mouth and pressing the tip of Kakashi’s cock against the smooth back of his tongue. Fuck, it felt good! There couldn’t possibly be a technique that Sasuke didn’t know. Kakashi couldn’t stop his hand going to those sable locks and just petting him. The petting turned to gripping as his climax approached. Sasuke took him balls deep right before he cam, cuming straight down Sasuke’s throat.

Sasuke stood. Neither of them were soft, but Sasuke seemed disinterested in another round. He finished washing up. He relinquished the hot spray to Kakashi who relished the water a little longer before turning it off.

He dried off and realized Sasuke was leaning in the doorway, still nude, waiting for him. He walked toward the bed showing off his amazing body. Damn, he wanted to be the one doing the fucking. Sasuke’s body just looked wonderful. Sasuke had thrown the blanket over the rumpled sheets as a fresh surface to fuck on.

After Sasuke’s aborted attempt to fuck him in the shower, Kakashi was honestly more than happy to get on the bed and let Sasuke finish what he started. Sasuke stopped him from getting on his back, pulling him to his hands and knees and covering his body with him own. Sasuke latched onto his neck again, making sure the skin would be deeply bruised. Kakashi felt a trickle of something that could have been saliva or blood run down his neck.

Sasuke put a small dollop of lube on his cock and assumed his stretching from the shower would be enough. It was. Kakashi pushed back as Sasuke entered him. Kakashi couldn’t see the sneer Sasuke was giving him at his apparent eagerness. He played his hands on the scared skin of Kakashi’s back and sides. Cuts from kunai, stab wounds from kunai and shuriken, a burn, and of course the thin white lines he’d given him. As he traced Kakashi’s scars he wasn’t moving within him and Kakashi was too turned on, he started rocking back on to him. Sasuke smiled again and let Kakashi do the work while he continued to touch him. His skin was still moist from the shower giving it a different texture than normal.

Without any warning, Sasuke thrust forward as Kakashi moved back, impaling Kakashi’s body hard. Kakashi’s head went down with a groan, of pain or pleasure, Sasuke didn’t know or care. Kakashi continued to push back, though a bit more gingerly now.

Sasuke hand went for Kakashi’s damp hair, got a good grip, and pulled so Kakashi’s head was forced up. Sasuke leaned over him to whisper a few inches behind Kakashi’s ear. “You feel so good around my cock.”

Kakashi wondered why that sent such a pleasurable tingle down his spine. He shivered and that was not lost on Sasuke. Kakashi seemed to have resigned himself to being his lover and decided to just enjoy it. Sasuke wouldn’t go so far as to say sex slave, but it wasn’t like Kakashi had much of a choice.

Sasuke let go of Kakashi’s hair and bent down instead to taste his clean skin, licking the flesh between his left shoulder blade and the top of his spine. He kissed and sucked and managed to get enough skin between his teeth to bite him. He snaked a hand around him and held him against him possessively.

“You’re mine,” Sasuke growled as he hit his prostate dead on. Kakashi’s eyes rolled back. Sasuke’s body seemed to lengthen, his head next to Kakashi’s. In reality, Kakashi bowed his back as Sasuke pulled on his body to inch up to his length. Sasuke rubbed the side of his jaw against Kakashi’s hair like a scent-marking cat; Kakashi didn’t make the connection.

Sasuke bit the top of Kakashi’s ear before he pulled back, drawing his cock out of his body as he trailed his lips down Kakashi’s spine. His path deviated to the globes of his ass. Sasuke lips, swollen from sucking him off earlier, felt hot and soft as they traced meaningless paths over one cheek. Sasuke took a few nips as well. If Sasuke was trying to addict him to the pleasure only Sasuke could give him, it was working.

Though the scent-marking had been lost on Kakashi, the biting wasn’t. Perhaps after sending him all over the continent, Sasuke felt the need to reinforce his claim on his former sensei. But Sasuke had never acted so possessive before.

When Sasuke entered him again, Kakashi couldn’t hold back any longer and cam hard with a strangled cry. Sasuke tried to catch as much of his cum as possible. As Kakashi came down from his orgasmic high, Sasuke rubbed his cum covered hand over his mouth and nose. He could smell and taste his own cum as Sasuke resumed fucking him, choosing a fast pace this time. Kakashi lowered onto his elbows, suffering through the rough fuck against his sensitive prostate.

Sasuke pressed his hips firmly against Kakashi’s ass to release as deeply inside as possible. He lay on top of Kakashi’s body.

Sasuke laughed softly. “Now we need another shower.” Sasuke used a finger to scoop up the little bit of blood that had from the bite on Kakashi’s neck and sucked it off his finger.

Despite Sasuke’s words, he fell over onto the bed to rest. Kakashi straightened out to catch his breath as well. He felt thoroughly fucked. Sleep called to him even though he felt like he’d slept enough. But after sparring with the demonic little Uchiha and the sex, he didn’t think he could move. Sasuke was feeling the same.

“I wish it didn’t take so much effort to have Tamaki bring food to us.”

“I don’t really want her to find us like this,” Kakashi said.

“Agreed. Come on, I’m hungry.”

Kakashi found that he was sore, more so than he would have predicted, but he followed Sasuke and cleaned up again. Sasuke just rinsed his body of a bit of sweat and the spunk from his cock. Kakashi had the blood on his neck, the cum on his face, the saliva on half his body, and the sweat that had broken out all over.

“Dress and change the sheets and I’ll bring breakfast,” Sasuke said as he left the shower.

Alone, Kakashi felt his abused hole. He didn’t realize in the heat of the moment how hard Sasuke had impaled him as he was thrusting back. The sparring had also tightened his muscles.  He eyed the ofuro and figured he had about half an hour. He filled it with hot water and relaxed, relying on his own sense of time to get out before Sasuke returned. He dried, dressed, and changed the bedding. Sasuke appeared with food just after he finished.

Kakashi sat down tenderly, but Sasuke didn’t look sorry in the slightest. As they finished eating and Sasuke gathered the empty dishes to return to Tamaki’s he said, “I’m sending you to Konoha tomorrow. Relax today.”

“I’m almost out of food to take with me.”

“You won’t be going on foot.”

“Will you allow me to stay there for a while?”

“No.” Sasuke teleported away.

 _Bastard_. Kakashi threw himself on the bed. He may have withdrawn from them, but he did still have friends in Konoha. He’d even been getting friendly with Iruka since the man was constantly dragging him out of his office to visit children. And Sakura. How was Sakura coping? At least he could ask Tenzou about her while there.

He lay there sprawled on the bed, bored. He needed a hobby. Copying Sasuke’s own laziness, Kakashi made a clone to grab his books. He made it half way through the first page when he gave up, incredibly bored and not able to get even the slightest enjoyment from his beloved books. He fell asleep.

He awoke when Sasuke came in. He was shirtless and annoyed. He approached the bed. Kakashi moved over and grabbed his books out of the way. Sasuke threw himself down.

“What happened to your shirt?” Kakashi asked.

“Burned.”

Kakashi pushed himself up to see if Sasuke was injured, but saw no burns. He smelled chemicals. “Acid?”

“Hai.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No, it didn’t touch my skin.”

Kakashi took a closer look at Sasuke’s skin. He had acid stains on his hands, small white blotches where the acid had bleached his skin, but didn’t burn it. How had he not noticed before? Granted Sasuke’s skin was nearly the same color, but he should have been able to see them before now. Then he noticed white in Sasuke’s hair. Not gray hairs—which wouldn’t surprise Kakashi considering how traumatic his life had been—but drops of white like on his hands. Bleached by chemicals.

“Sasuke, you know whatever you’re working on his bleaching your skin and hair?”

“Hn.” Sasuke looked at the books in Kakashi’s hand. He smirked. “You still read those things?”

“Yeah.”

“It sometimes irritates me how little you’ve changed.”

Sasuke got up to wash up. Kakashi put his books away and tried to figure out how much time had passed. Sasuke looked exhausted as he came out of the bathroom so he figured he’d been asleep for a while.

“I’m going to sleep,” Sasuke said as he began stripping. Kakashi changed into his nightclothes as well, deciding to he was too bored to stay awake.

They got into bed. Sasuke lay with his back to Kakashi and Kakashi faced him. He couldn’t see Sasuke in the dark, but he could smell him. He inched closer when he heard Sasuke’s breathing slow and deepen. The smell of chemicals hung in Sasuke’s hair; Kakashi didn’t like it, didn’t like anything covering Sasuke’s natural scent and the fragrance of his hair.

Kakashi mentally smacked himself. _Don’t let yourself fall in love, idiot!_ He turned away from Sasuke.

\-----

Yamato started when Kakashi appeared and ANBU appeared just like in Kiri, but the Konoha ANBU pulled back as soon as they realized who was before him. They nodded to him out of respect and vanished again.

“Sempai, I’m glad to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you.”

The black cat walked up and rubbed up against his leg.

“I wish I was just here for a visit.” He handed Yamato the list.

Yamato’s eyes widened when he saw what Sasuke wanted. “This is an odd mix of things.”

“Sasuke’s an odd man.”

“I’ll try to get these things together as soon as possible.”

“How’s Sakura?”

“Really depressed. Do you have time to see her?”

“No. Everything well? How’s Shikaku, Haishi, Gai, Genma, Iruka?”

“Everyone is well and the village is doing well.”

“Good.”

“How are you, sempai?”

“Bored. So far I’m just a sparring partner and an errand boy.”

“Did Sasuke tell you that he granted Sakura an audience?”

“No.” Kakashi was very concerned. “Is she alright?”

“He didn’t harm her, but she was even more distressed after that. But he never told you?”

“No. But he doesn’t tell me anything.”

“She wouldn’t say what Sasuke did or said, but she’s incredibly depressed.”

“Sasuke can be cruel.” It was obvious he was speaking from personal experience. “Let her know I’m alright.”

“I will.”

“I’ll return before he can summon me mid-sentence. See ya, Tenzou.”

“Sempai.”

Kakashi returned to the fortress in one of the corridors, Sasuke nearly walking into him.

“That can be very annoying,” Sasuke said.

“Your seal.”

“He agreed?”

“Hai.”

“Good.” Sasuke moved around him.

“Did you talk to Sakura?”

Sasuke stopped and looked back at him. “I did. She kept nagging the Hokage and he passed on the message. I didn’t harm her, but I rubbed her nose in her own self-pity. She came here to beg me to send you back to her. She claimed you were all she had left. She never ceases to annoy me. Don’t you feel the same? She still has a family, friends; we have none of that. Don’t you resent people like her? They lose one person and they think their world is over. Have you ever watched a funeral where all these people mourn and say they’ve lost everything while they’re surrounded by friends and family? Doesn’t it make you sick? They don’t know true lost like you and I do. We have lost everything, we have nothing.”

“I had Sakura.”

“No, you didn’t. You know you didn’t. She’s a feckless, silly girl. She was never fit to be a shinobi. And so shallow. She never understood me, didn’t know me, but oh how she loved me. That little bitch cared for nothing but my looks. You never loved her either.”

“I cared for her.”

Sasuke scoffed. “Did she really offer you any comfort or was she just a convenient bedfellow? I’m still tempted to kill her, but right now I like the idea of her wallowing in guilt.”

“Guilt?”

“I may have hinted that you being under my thumb was because of her. I didn’t tell her what really happened, but if you hadn’t jumped to save her life, I might not have taken a liking to you.”

“Bastard. Let me go to her.”

Sasuke laughed. “No. I have to start collecting my goods.” Sasuke walked away. Kakashi wanted to attack him, but held back. Kakashi went up to the surface and summoned Uhei.

“Go to Sakura and assure her my current predicament is not her fault. Find out what Sasuke said to her. If Sasuke or one of his hawks finds you, just go home.”

“Hai.” The greyhound ran off.

Kakashi had confided much to his pack, but not everything. There were things he was sure they had deduced however. Uhei no doubt could smell Sasuke on him.

He remembered Sasuke’s possessiveness yesterday. He felt like a pet. He felt completely isolated sitting on this cliff overlooking the skeletons. He’d felt peaceful and free a few weeks ago before he started running messages all over the shinobi world, but now he just felt very alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Donburi is a dish presented to one as thanks for hard work.  
>  Cats have a scent gland on their faces, which is what they’re doing when they rub up against you or anything else, they’re marking you. They also scent mark by pissing on you, but that’s not a kink of mine.


	10. Hopelessly

He was hit with a pillow again.  
  
“Could you find another way to wake me up?”  
  
“Chidori?”  
  
“Never mind.”  
  
“It seems the Kage aren’t so happy with my recent requests.”  
  
“You can’t expect any of them to be happy about it.” Kakashi rubbed at his hair as he sat up.  
  
“They’re gathering. Go put a stop to it.”  
  
Kakashi got dressed and was sent to the meeting.  
  
Kakashi appeared behind Gaara in a rotunda Kakashi had never seen before. Everyone readied themselves to fight before they saw who had intruded on their meeting.  
  
Kakashi put up his hands to show he was not armed. “Sasuke sent me to ask that you stop meeting to plot against him.”  
  
“How did he know where we were? Or did you tell him?” Hatori demanded.  
  
“You’d be surprised what all Sasuke knows. And how would I know? I’m not in any of your confidences.”  
  
“You certainly became his loyal dog fast.”  
  
“I’m on the shortest leash here. Why do you think he recalled me from Konoha? I can’t do anything without him knowing about it now.”  
  
“If he knows we’re plotting against him, why doesn’t he come here himself and kill us?” Mei asked.  
  
“He’s not in a killing mood today.”  
  
“What kind of mood is he in?”  
  
“An apathetic one. Quite frankly, I’m glad to be out of there at the moment. A bored Uchiha is frightening prospect.”  
  
“Perhaps we should adjourn,” Mei said. “If Sasuke knows, it’s meaningless.”  
  
The others agreed and all left. Except for Gaara and Kakashi. Gaara turned those unsettling large eyes on him.   
  
“I don’t feel I can trust you anymore,” Gaara said.  
  
“Have any of you trusted me since the end of the war?”  
  
“I did, but no more. You’ve changed.”  
  
“You’re right; I’ve given up. I’m nothing but an errand boy now. At least it gets me out of that fortress.”  
  
“You also look rather pale.”  
  
“I’ve been locked up underground,” Kakashi lied. He lived underground, but Sasuke had put no prohibition to going above. “Take care, Kazekage-sama.” Kakashi summoned himself home.  
  
Sasuke was tending his sword when Kakashi returned.  
  
“They’ve left.”  
  
“Good.” Sasuke wiped up the excess oil and started putting everything away. Kakashi realized he was preparing to go to battle with Kage if necessary.   
  
“How did you know they were meeting and where?” He honestly didn’t expect an answer, but he thought it worth the week of silence that was bound to follow.   
  
But Sasuke was always unpredictable. He was putting his weapon care kit in the lower nightstand drawer. Sasuke turned to crawl onto the bed, moving in a very feline fashion. Then with a smirk, he transformed into a large—but not human sized—black cat. Kakashi’s eyes went from surprised to furious.  
  
“You were the cat?!”  
  
Sasuke returned to normal. “No, not usually. I admit I felt guilty about giving you that concussion after you told everyone to look into the black market and I soon followed to your office to check on you. And it was me the first time; I wanted to see how a cat would be received by a dog person like yourself. No, the cats all the Kage and village heads have grown so fond of are my clan’s ninja-cats. Unlike normal summons, they have sworn exclusive and unwavering loyalty to my clan, no contract required. I’ve been using them as spies. They hear everything and report to me.”  
  
“But how hasn’t anyone realized they’re ninja-cats? Ninja animals have more chakra than normal animals. And how could you even fool me?”  
  
Sasuke smiled evilly and turned onto his back at little like a cat would. “Let’s just say that is one thing I owe to Orochimaru.”  
  
Kakashi remembered Sasuke mentioning his musing on why Sasuke left he, Sakura, and Naruto alive. “You mention that I said something about the three of us not offending you. I said that to Gai before the cat showed up; how did you know I said that?”  
  
Sasuke’s lips pouted in thought and maybe a little contrition. He turned back onto his stomach. “Was your shoulder hurting that night?”  
  
Kakashi was a little thrown by the question, but he thought back. It had been over a year, but that night had stuck in his mind. “Yes, I think it was bothering me.”  
  
Sasuke sighed, sat in the lotus position on the bed, then made a few hand signs. The seal on Kakashi’s shoulder burned slightly. It stopped when Sasuke opened his eyes. Kakashi’s eyes narrowed.  
  
“I can listen in to what’s going on around you. I didn’t intend for it bother you.”  
  
“You’ve been eavesdropping on me?!”  
  
“And sometimes I can even sense your mood.” Sasuke really did look contrite.  
  
“Why me? Why just me?”  
  
Sasuke looked him in the eye. “For one, that eye. The fact you can still see is surprising. And you have the Mangekyo. You can’t possibly develop it any further, but that is enough. Then there’s Naruto. He is the only one who could hope to defeat me. The genjutsu I used on him was one I’d never tested. I truly do not know how long it will last. I doubted you would ever tell me if he woke up; I would just suddenly find myself under attack by that damn fox. However, if I routinely listened in, there would be no way I wouldn’t hear of it. That was just a precaution though; I believe I will know when he wakes up.”  
  
“That’s it? Why don’t you do the same with the current Hokage?”  
  
“Kurohoshi, the cat, is there now. And now you are at my side; I don’t have to worry about Konoha anymore.”  
  
“Aren’t I more dangerous being at your side, a kunai against your ribs?”  
  
“Perhaps. I haven’t bound you since that first day. I’ve let my guard down around you regularly. I’ve been fast asleep right next to you and yet you never took advantage of that. I’m very much aware of your power—you trained me—and I respect you, but I don’t really fear you. When you were in command of an army, I admit, it concerned me. But as I demonstrated, all of Konoha is no match for me.”  
  
“I can understand espionage, but I remember it aching when I was alone with Sakura.”  
  
Now Sasuke got defensive. “If you think I got any kind of perverse pleasure from listening in on you and her, you are sorely mistaken. Ever wonder how I never summoned you while you were with her or in a meeting or anything like that? I made sure you were doing nothing more than paperwork.”  
  
“Utter bastard.”  
  
“You’ve known that for years now.” Sasuke lounged back on the bed.  
  
“Is that what you’re doing when you meditate, just listening in?”  
  
“No. I don’t really need to meditate to listen, but I do need to focus. No, I really meditate as well. It’s a good way to pass the time when you’re stuck underground for long periods of time.”  
  
“It’s a seal, you can take it off.”  
  
“I can. I could probably take it off and just put back the summoning part. But I won’t. You can feel when I use it, so there’s no way I can use it without you knowing about it.”  
  
“Like when you send me to the Kage.”  
  
Sasuke smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I may have listened in on a conversation or two, but I don’t think I greatly intruded on your privacy. I learned far more from the cat or posing as a cat.” Sasuke grew serious. “I forbid you from revealing my spies. I may keep you around, but if you jeopardize my projects I’ll show you everything these eyes can do without killing you.”  
  
With Sasuke glaring at him, even with black eyes, Kakashi stood down.  
  
“I want you to help Tamaki and I sort through everything the villages have handed over. I need everything traded as soon as possible so you will help. You break or kill anything, I swear I will take that seal off, but it will be with Amaterasu.”  
  
Kakashi was forced to give up. He sighed. “Understood.”  
  
It took less chakra from Sasuke to transport himself and summon Kakashi to him. They were in the underground tunnels where Tamaki lived. Tamaki was already sorting the goods.  
  
“I’ve told him about the cats, so they don’t need to hide from him anymore,” Sasuke told her.  
  
A familiar black cat jumped up onto a box in front of Kakashi. Kurohoshi. “Forgive me, Kakashi-kun, but I’m sworn to obey Sasuke-kun. I did enjoy your office. It’s not the same without you.”  
  
Kakashi was a little surprised. “Thank you.”  
  
Kurohoshi jumped down to brush against his leg.   
  
“Tamaki, tell Neko-baa to trade all the live and perishables first,” Sasuke said. “I want this stuff moved quickly.”  
  
“Hai, hai, she knows.”  
  
“You know, I haven’t eaten yet,” Kakashi said.  
  
“Come on, I’ll make you breakfast,” Tamaki said.  
  
“Kakashi, don’t wander her without Tamaki or one of the cats,” Sasuke warned. “This place is a labyrinth. Even I can’t find my way here.”  
  
“Well, you’ll always just summon me back anyway,” Kakashi said dismissively.   
  
\-----  
  
For the next few days, the three of them sorted through goods and put together what Neko-baa needed to trade for what Sasuke wanted with many different people in the black market. At least it was something to do. Though Sasuke had him help with the outgoing, Kakashi never saw the incoming.  
  
Kakashi was still angry about being spied on and they didn’t really talk. He couldn’t really hold anything against Kurohoshi since he was such an affectionate cat and seemed genuinely sorry for reporting on him to Sasuke. He enjoyed petting Kurohoshi especially after he noticed Sasuke looking a little jealous at the attention Kakashi was giving the cat. It amused Kakashi to think Sasuke might transform into a cat again just to get the same attention. He was pretty sure Sasuke never did that, but he was certain the little bastard considered it. He liked making Sasuke jealous.   
  
Kurohoshi and the other cats spent the day spying, but came back most nights to report to Sasuke and then slept or hung out in the tunnels. Kakashi was able to listen in on one of the debriefings, but there was little of interest. Sasuke didn’t like gossip so the cats liked to tell it to Kakashi who showed more interest. Kurohoshi said Sakura came in sometimes to pet him and ask if Yamato had any news about Kakashi, but had nothing else to say about her.   
  
Sasuke sent Kakashi home when he received goods. Alone, Kakashi went above, sat on the cliff, and summoned Uhei, now cautious of his shoulder hurting.   
  
“She kept crying,” Uhei said. “She was glad to hear you’re alright, but she seemed to think that you might be lying to make her feel better. She wouldn’t tell me what Sasuke said.”  
  
“Thanks, Uhei.” He petted him.  
  
“You smell of cat.”  
  
“Sasuke summons cats as well as hawks. Killed a deer for you. You can take the leftovers home. I should go back below.”  
  
“Hai.”  
  
Kakashi thought he saw something shinning in the trees like eyes, but didn’t sense anything. He was just getting paranoid.  
  
He went below. Sasuke was still missing. Every time they received any goods, Sasuke disappeared for several hours playing with his new toys. Alone with nothing to do, Kakashi decided to tend to his neglected weapons; not that he needed them anymore except to spar with Sasuke. After that he lay on the bed and read one of his books.   
  
Sasuke returned looking pleased. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at him. Sasuke came over and leaned on the bed.   
  
“Why are you so happy?”  
  
“Those black marketeers got everything right so far. Once they finish delivering, I can begin. Things are going well.”  
  
“Begin what?”  
  
“I’m not in such a good mood that I’ll reveal that kind of thing to you. Still angry with me?”  
  
“Irritated.”  
  
“Hurry up and get over it, I’m sick of sleeping next to someone who’s angry with me.”  
  
“Afraid I’ll kill you in your sleep?”  
  
“No, it’s just not a pleasant atmosphere.”  
  
“Atmosphere?” Kakashi was a little indignant.  
  
“I’m trying to soften you up, but if you don’t want to be pleasant about this then I’ll just take what I want.” It was almost a scarier threat with Sasuke smiling and in a good mood.  
  
“I’m not that angry anymore.”  
  
“Good. I’m in a good mood and I want to enjoy it.”  
  
“Tell me what you’re doing.”  
  
“Uh-uh. I told you about my cats and that seal. I’ve told you far too much already.”  
  
“You’ve been raping me for a long time.”  
  
“Hasn’t it long since stop being rape? You enjoy the hell out of it and I’ve given you a lot of information recently, so don’t pull quid pro quo. Anyway, besides Tamaki and the cats, you will be the only one to know what it is I’ve been working on when I’m finished. Satisfied? Live with it and take your damn clothes off.”  
  
Okay, Sasuke’s aggressiveness was a little bit of a turn on. Sasuke backed off to strip. Kakashi swung his legs off the bed to sit and take his clothes off. Sasuke came up behind him and rubbed his cheek in Kakashi’s hair. Sasuke put his arms around him and rubbed his clothed body. He lowered his lips to Kakashi’s jaw.   
  
“Tell me you don’t like it. Tell me you don’t love it. You don’t crave it. That you weren’t pressing back against me last time. Tell me that and I’ll stop. I’ll never touch you again.” Sasuke was rubbing his cock against Kakashi’s back and speaking lowly right next to his ear. The only thing Kakashi wanted to say was ‘fuck me.’  
  
Sasuke took that for granted when Kakashi didn’t say anything. But with Sasuke rubbing his naked body over Kakashi, he couldn’t really get his clothes off to get to the main event.   
  
Sasuke moved his lips to Kakashi’s neck and sucked at his hairline. Kakashi felt Sasuke’s tongue, pointed and stiffened, poke at his neck and lick him. Sasuke’s nose nuzzled his hair and his breath was like thunder behind his ear. Kakashi couldn’t help loving it. Sasuke’s teeth pulled at his hair as he moved to the right side of Kakashi’s neck and bit him where his neck met his shoulder.   
  
Sasuke started pulling at his clothes, prompting Kakashi to finally take them off while Sasuke helped. Sasuke ran his hands down Kakashi’s bare back and then repeated his rubbing of his chest without the obstructing shirt. Sasuke put his head on Kakashi’s shoulder as he teased Kakashi’s skin and nipples. He fingered the scant silver hair on his chest while he pressed his own hairless chest against his back. Sasuke’s chest vibrated with a hungry growl.   
  
Kakashi was lost; he would give in to Sasuke no matter what. He didn’t want to lose Sasuke’s touch, but he shrugged Sasuke off so that he could remove his pants.   
  
Sasuke swung around to straddle Kakashi as he still sat on the edge of the bed, now as naked as he was. He kissed him and rubbed their bare erections together. Kakashi hadn’t forgiven Sasuke for anything yet, but that didn’t matter, he wanted him. He was utterly under his sway, addicted to him. But he wouldn’t try to take what he really wanted. He wanted to bury his face in that neck and mark him like Sasuke’d marked him; he wanted to take Sasuke, he wanted to make love to him. He wanted Sasuke. But Sasuke was unattainable. He kissed back, but that was barely a step above merely submitting.   
  
Finally, Sasuke pressed him back and grabbed the lube he’d strategically placed on the bed before the foreplay. Sasuke shimmied his knees under Kakashi’s hips, raising them and giving Sasuke better access. He didn’t prep, just entered him. Kakashi didn’t care, the slight pain was nothing. Sasuke stayed upright and fucked him at an easy pace. Kakashi turned his head to the side and just enjoyed it, trying not to think; he tended to think too much about this wired relationship while they were having sex.   
  
Sasuke started with an easy rhythm, but then he changed to thrust in hard and fast, then drag out slowly. Kakashi lost it before Sasuke did. It would be a bold faced lie to say Kakashi didn’t like the feeling of Sasuke finishing inside him.   
  
Sasuke braced himself with one hand and surprised Kakashi by pulling his ever-present eye patch away. Kakashi looked up in surprise, but kept that eye closed. Sasuke pulled his legs free and bent down to kiss and lick at the scar. The memory of the last time Sasuke did anything like sent an oddly pleasant chill through him.   
  
He was caught off guard when Sasuke entered him again. Sasuke’d recovered quick from his last orgasm; he must have been horny as hell. Sasuke stayed with his body pressing down on Kakashi’s and kissed him. One of his hands slid down to the hollow of Kakashi’s hip and the other mused his silver hair. Kakashi kissed back and ran his hands down Sasuke’s left side and right arm. He brought his knees up to use his legs to caress Sasuke’s. They soon became a tangled mess of limbs as they both became more passionate, trying to touch every part of the other, the kiss becoming sloppier, Sasuke’s thrust coming harder.   
  
Sasuke wouldn’t relinquish Kakashi’s lips as he tried to pull them away to breathe as his orgasm tore threw him, Sasuke held Kakashi’s head in place and kept kissing. When Sasuke cam, he bit Kakashi’s lip so hard he nearly pierced it cleanly. Kakashi relaxed into the mattress while Sasuke licked at his lips, licking the blood and saliva away. He moved down and licked up the cum that had splattered on Kakashi’s chest.  
  
Sasuke then pulled Kakashi up to lay properly in the bed, dragging the blanket out from under them as he did. For the first time, he snuggled up against Kakashi. He growled, realizing the overhead light was still on. Kakashi put his hand against Sasuke’s temple and gently pushed him back down and made a clone to turn it off for him.  
  
He was going to bed hungry, but Kakashi liked Sasuke in a good mood.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke’s good mood could not last. It didn’t take too long before one of the rats on the black market changed his price. He didn’t know who he was really dealing with, but he would soon find out. The cats reported the news about a particularly brutal murder of an underworld leader by a mysterious person. Sasuke sent a message, but now he was annoyed.   
  
Kakashi felt like a stock boy, but he was spending more time outside the fortress with Tamaki and the cats. He still hadn’t met ‘baa-chan,’ but he liked the different company from just Sasuke.   
  
But he did love the sex. He could have never imaged how good it could feel. That was one of the main reasons he never made a fuss over being forced to live here. If it wasn’t for Sasuke’s shitty personality . . .  
  
Everything came to a head one night when Sasuke was somewhat in a good mood. Sasuke straddled his abdomen, bending his back to kiss him while musing Kakashi’s hair and rubbing his cock against Kakashi’s muscled body. Kakashi kissed back meekly.  
  
The pain in Kakashi’s chest was getting worse. He hated opening his eyes and seeing Sasuke above him and looking into his eyes, it made the pain more acute. He didn’t want to see the man Sasuke had become, but he was also uncomfortable thinking that this was the same boy he once trained. There were so many things he couldn’t forgive Sasuke for: turning against them, killing Tsunade with so much glee, trapping Naruto in that genjutsu, but the worse was the simple fact that Sasuke hadn’t killed him. Sasuke had let him live. Kakashi still couldn’t understand that. He let Kakashi live when he was fully prepared to die. And he decided to torture him. The greatest torture right now was, as much as they had sex, he knew he could never truly have Sasuke; he belonged to Sasuke, never the other way around.  
  
Sasuke crawled up to straddle Kakashi’s head like he had before. Kakashi once again started on his balls and then took his erection into his mouth. As he did, he caressed the back of Sasuke’s thighs then his ass. Kakashi took the chance and moved his fingers closer to cleft of his ass. He ran a finger between the valley of his ass and felt Sasuke shudder. He did it again, stopping at his entrance. He teased the puckered hole. He expected some kind of rebuke, but Sasuke spread his legs to give Kakashi better access. Kakashi didn’t dare try to breach him, but he continued rubbing it and felt Sasuke relax as if preparing to accept him. He’d always suspected that Sasuke had been taken before, but this seemed to prove it.   
  
Sasuke pulled away. “It’s been far too long.” That confirmed it.  
  
Sasuke moved down to cover his body and kiss him. Sasuke broke the kiss to grab the lube.  
  
Finally, Kakashi felt it was a good opportunity to ask, “Who was it?”  
  
Sasuke gave a small, wry chuckle and lowered his body back down over him, looking him in the eye, aborting his grab for the lube. “Who do you think? He didn’t do it right away; he was still getting used to his new body. I was safe for about a month. Then one day he pushed me much further than normal during training. I was exhausted when I finally went to bed. I was so tried I didn’t immediately wake up when he entered my room. It was just enough of a hesitation for Orochimaru to hold me down, blindfold me, strip me, and tie me down. It happened so fast and I was panicked so I’m not even sure how he managed it, but I’m assuming he used shadow clones. I struggled of course, but I was helpless.”  
  
Sasuke grabbed Kakashi’s wrists and positioned them in a spread eagle position then used his knees to nudge Kakashi’s legs spread further apart to complete the position, replicating how Orochimaru tied him up. He moved down Kakashi’s body to his hips.   
  
“He first licked me from groin,” Sasuke licked from the skin between Kakashi’s cock and hip up to his neck, “to my neck with that long tongue of his. Then he moved his hands down my body.” Sasuke trailed his hands down Kakashi’s arms, then used his whole hands to feel his body from his shoulders, over his nipples, down his abs, then over his hips and thighs. “I couldn’t see him, but I’m sure he was leering at me the entire time. I struggled and told him to get his hands off me, but I was no threat to him like that.  
  
“He tasted me first.” Sasuke lapped at the head of Kakashi’s cock to taste the precum. As much as Kakashi hated the fact Orochimaru had raped his student, he couldn’t help but be turned on by what Sasuke was doing. “He told me how good I tasted, better than Kabuto.” A white snake jetted out of Sasuke’s shoulder to grab the lube on the nightstand and retracted, dropping the tube in Sasuke’s waiting hand.  
  
Sasuke put a generous amount of lube on his fingers and teased Kakashi’s entrance. “He used his tongue.” Sasuke pressed his fingers in. “That’s one thing I’ll always miss about Orochimaru: that tongue. That long, prehensile tongue moving around inside me. It went so deep.” Sasuke put his hand on Kakashi’s abdomen, just above his groin. “I swear he got this deep. It felt far too strange to feel good that first time even when he brushed my prostate.   
  
“The flare of his tongue stretched me somewhat, but not enough. He pulled his tongue out then used his fingers to stretch me.” Sasuke was doing the same now. “He did it slowly to frighten me. He liked the smell of fear, he liked torturing me.”  
  
Sasuke replaced his fingers with his cock, moving it slowly around in a circle on the surface. “He wanted me to know and fear what he was about to do.” He pressed in slowly. “I tried to struggle away but I realized it was hurting more. I tried to calm down, but it was difficult being raped for the first time.”  
  
The fact Sasuke was describing his own rape and acting it out was disturbing enough, but the fact Sasuke wasn’t at all emotional about it—he was talking seductively, as if he was purely trying to turn Kakashi on—was frightening.   
  
Sasuke stopped when he was completely inside of him. He placed a hand on Kakashi’s waist.  
  
“Wanted me to feel like he was deep enough and large enough to feel through my body. He licked me as he let me feel being full with his cock. He was smart enough to avoid my face, he knew I’d bite his tongue off since he neglected to gag me.”  
  
Sasuke started to fuck him slowly. “He knew how to make me suffer, he knew at that point I just wanted him to get it over with, but he did it slowly. He used that tongue of his to gross me out by licking me all over as he fucked me. Then he coiled it around my soft cock.” Sasuke wrapped his hand around Kakashi’s erection. “It slithered and undulated around me. He found my prostate and hit it mercilessly. Even after I cam, he didn’t stop, forcing me to cum again before he cam deep inside me.  
  
“He sucked me off expertly until I cam in his mouth then he fucked me again. I was so exhausted by the end that he felt safe untying me and leaving me there. I didn’t attack him, I fell asleep.  
  
“The next morning, I was pissed. And tried. He didn’t act any differently. Kabuto must not have known or he wouldn’t have at least looked at me differently. I felt I needed Orochimaru and I have to admit it felt good eventually.   
  
“I didn’t think he would be back that night, but he was. He raped me every night for nearly two weeks. Although, it wasn’t really rape after half the way through the first time. Or especially after the forth night. I put up a fight until the fifth time. I stopped struggling. I liked it.” He licked Kakashi from his chin to nose. “Once I stopped struggling, he stopped tying me up. I started going to bed in the nude, knowing he would come to me.   
  
“Then one night, he never showed up. Everything was normal the next morning. He didn’t arrive that night either. Or the next. I couldn’t take it anymore and had to bring myself off. I later found out that the reason he and I could cum two, three, four times a night, every night, and the reason I couldn’t go any longer without release was one of the injections Kabuto was giving me was making me produce more semen than normal.  
  
“Two more nights without Orochimaru coming to me. I couldn’t take it anymore; I went to his room. I needed it. He let me in with a superior leer on his face. I said nothing and I think he knew my pride wouldn’t let me ask for it. He told me to strip and get on my knees. I was too desperate to argue, but I didn’t jump to it like an attention starved puppy, I moved slowly. He waited until I was naked and on the floor before he started stripping. He stood in front of me with his cock an inch from my lips. It was my first time. He’d done it to me so I knew sort of what to do. I took the head in and he pressed the rest in slowly until he got too deep and I had to pull back or gag.   
  
“He told me he wouldn’t take me if I didn’t take him all the down my throat. He was quite long, longer than you or me. I forced my throat to relax and I took him completely. He didn’t waste too much time with my mouth. He told me to get on the bed and he fucked me half the night. He told me that for now on if I wanted him and he didn’t come to me, I was to come to him and immediately strip and get on my knees. But he came to me more often than not. Several times a week.”  
  
The story probably should have shocked him, but Kakashi really wasn’t surprised; he knew it had to have been Orochimaru. It still angered him though. Sasuke’s thrusts were getting harder and not in the familiar way when he was getting close to cuming. Kakashi opened his eyes to see something on the brink of rage in Sasuke’s eyes. Somehow he felt that that rage wasn’t directed at Orochimaru, but at him.  
  
That rage tinted his voice. “Of course Kabuto was involved too. I hated that. Orochimaru liked to watch us together and then fuck the two of us. Orochimaru never bottomed, he liked to keep his superiority above us clear. Kabuto and I hated each other. I think Orochimaru liked that, like watching us trying to hurt each other as we fucked one another.   
  
“Then Orochimaru grew weaker. After Naruto and the others found us, his health started deteriorating faster. After a while all he could do it watch us. Then he couldn’t get it up at all. Kabuto and I had to take care of ourselves. I weaned myself off Kabuto’s drugs and sex. I wanted to start something with Suigetsu or Juugo, but decided against it. I needed them to concentrate on finding my brother and having Karen around . . . That’s why I said I haven’t had any in weeks.”  
  
Sasuke was getting close, his words affecting them both. He grabbed Kakashi’s erection wanting to bring him off before he cam. Sasuke’s thrusts became more powerful and targeted his sensitive gland perfectly. Kakashi couldn’t suppress grunts of pleasure. He cried out with the power of his orgasm. Sasuke was half a minute behind him, but Kakashi didn’t mind that cock thrusting into his tired body, the sensitivity of his spent prostate was pleasantly painful, heightened by his self loathing for what he’d just heard and that it was partially his fault. He shut his eyes.  
  
Sasuke lowered his body to Kakashi’s and leaned his head on the pillow over Kakashi’s left shoulder. Before Sasuke had completely caught his breath, he asked, “You enjoy it now? Like I started enjoying it?”  
  
“Yes,” Kakashi admitted.  
  
Sasuke did move for a minute then he seemed to curl up on himself. “Why did you abandon me?” he cried against Kakashi’s chest.  
  
That made Kakashi open his eyes again. That night he left Sasuke in that tree. The full enormity of that moment dawned on him. “I didn’t know.”   
  
Sasuke pushed himself up to glare down at Kakashi with wet eyes. “Don’t dare try to claim that you didn’t abandon me,” he growled. “You knew my emotional state that night, you knew how close to the edge I was. But you left me there! You left me there for a mission! And then after I fought Naruto at the waterfall. I heard you came after us, you found Naruto and took him home. But what about me! I was tired, cold, wet, emotionally spent, guilt ridden, wounded, so near collapse. If you had caught up to me I would have given in. I would have surrendered. I would have gone home with you. I wanted you to come. I even stopped and waited for you! But you never came! You abandoned me and took your precious Naruto home.”  
  
“I didn’t know what direction you’d gone; the rain washed away your scent. If I had known—”  
  
Sasuke punched him. The blow landed on his cheek. Against the pillow, Kakashi’s head had nowhere to go but an inch or two of give. Sasuke nearly broke his cheekbone.   
  
Sasuke leaned to the side. “Get out.” Kakashi moved out from under Sasuke, but he didn’t leave the bed. Sasuke laid down, hiding his face. Kakashi put an arm over his shoulders, wanting to comfort him, but Sasuke bucked him off with enough force to knock Kakashi off the bed. “Get out!”  
  
Kakashi scrambled off the floor, grabbing some of his discarded clothes as he headed for the door. Out in the corridor he slipped on his clothes and sat against the wall. Guilt rushed through him. No wonder Sasuke hated him and wanted to torture him; he blamed him for being raped and those three years with Orochimaru. If Sasuke only knew how much agony Kakashi had been in during that time. But Sasuke had every reason to hate him.   
  
The fortress was cold being underground and carved from stone. There was a heating system, but it only warmed certain rooms and certainly did not warm the oft empty corridors. Kakashi leaned his head back against the ice-like wall. He was beginning to truly understand Sasuke. And that wasn’t a pleasant thing.  
  
An unknown number of hours later, Kakashi awoke when Sasuke opened the door beside where he fell asleep sitting against the cold wall. Sasuke didn’t spare him a glance and walked off. Kakashi was freezing and debated if he was allowed back in Sasuke’s warm room and his bed. Sasuke hadn’t shut the door, so he took the chance. The bed was still rumbled. More importantly, the bed was still warm. Kakashi slipped under the covers and relished Sasuke’s lingering body heat. But Sasuke’s residual presence felt disturbed. It might have only been Kakashi’s imagination, but he was certain, whether or not he was right about the feel in the room, that Sasuke did not have a peaceful night.   
  
Kakashi got an hour or two of sleep. He showered and dressed in fresh clothes before making the bed with fresh sheets. No doubt Sasuke had eaten, but obviously was content to let Kakashi go hungry. He decided to try scavenging in that ill-stocked kitchen he found before. As he entered though, he was transported to Tamaki’s kitchen. He was alone so he pulled the bell rope Sasuke always used. Tamaki appeared. She didn’t look happy either.  
  
“Sasuke’s in a piss poor mood,” she said as she began preparing breakfast for Kakashi.  
  
“I know.”  
  
“You two have a fight?”  
  
“Sort of. I’m sorry if he was mean or rude to you because of it.”  
  
“No, he wasn’t. But he was silent—more than usual—and alone. He can go weeks without ever saying a word to me and that’s fine, but sometimes—like today—his silence was . . . deeper somehow. He seemed angry.”  
  
“He finally let his anger out last night and his sense of betrayal. I never realized he felt that way. I didn’t know he blamed me for so much.”  
  
“That explains why his eyes were red.” She handed him an icepack. “Maybe you should have someone check to make sure he didn’t break a bone.”  
  
Kakashi touched his left cheek gingerly and felt just how swollen it was. It was probably a nice shade of purple; he hadn’t glanced in the mirror as he went through his routine that morning, not wanting to look at himself after Sasuke’s words.   
  
“Thank you. I don’t know where I could go for treatment without Sasuke sending me there. Unless there’s someone down here with you.”  
  
“No. He’s acting like a child, isn’t he?”  
  
“No, he deserves to be angry. I could have done more to save him. I wish I had done more. Now I have to live with the consequences.”  
  
Tamaki put his plate in front of him. “I’ll give you something to take back with you. When Sasuke’s like this, he doesn’t eat much and he may not think—or want—to send you here too often.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
\-----  
  
Tamaki left while Kakashi was still eating. He waited for some time after finishing his meal to be transported back to the fortress. He was really too frightened of Sasuke’s mood to attempt summoning himself into Sasuke’s presence. Eventually, he found himself back in Sasuke’s bedroom. Alone.   
  
He tried to locate Sasuke, but he couldn’t find him through his chakra. Oddly enough, he couldn’t feel Sasuke’s chakra at all. He must have left the fortress. Probably off killing bandits.  
  
His suspicious were confirmed when Sasuke returned covered in arterial spray. Sasuke didn’t look at him and Kakashi didn’t say anything. Sasuke grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom and shut the door. Kakashi could hear the shower. Kakashi found it hard to continue reading his book now that Sasuke was back. When he came out he was dressed in fresh clothes and he started for the door without looking at Kakashi.   
  
Kakashi sighed. “It’s your room. I’ll take a bedroll into another room.”  
  
“Don’t bother.” Sasuke left.  
  
Kakashi hoped that meant Sasuke was calming down, but he just didn’t come back. He was sleeping elsewhere, and it wasn’t in the fortress from what Kakashi could tell.  
  
Two days without him and then Kakashi woke up to find field rations and a map on the table. The location of a group of bandits. ‘Track them from this point, kill them, and recover all their goods and gear.’  
  
Odd. Why wouldn’t Sasuke go partake in his favorite pastime? Kakashi got ready and couldn’t sense Sasuke at all as he left.   
  
Kakashi found the bandit’s empty camp. He summoned his pack and began tracking them. Fourteen men, missing-nin among them from the smell of their chakra. Kakashi kept his pack with him as they got closer.   
  
It was night when they came up on them. Kakashi and his pack attacked as a team, taking down nine men in a second. The others quickly fell except for one missing-nin who was nearly as much of a challenge as Zabuza during their first encounter. Kakashi ended it with a kunai stuck in the side of the man’s neck.  
  
Kakashi lit a few new fires to help him search the bodies. The hounds found all the food. Kakashi was searching the one man who gave him trouble when he found a note tucked in the man’s belongings. Orders to find and kill a member of the black market and take all his goods. It was signed with the Uchiha fan.  
  
“Cute,” Kakashi said out loud.  
  
“Boss?” Pakkun asked.  
  
“Sasuke’s got me on a deadly scavenger hunt. Somehow he slipped this message to me into this guy’s stuff. I’ve got to go kill someone else and recover more items.”  
  
Kakashi finished gathering everything, packed it in the bandits packs and strapped them to Bull. He pulled out the map. He decided to lead Bull to point on his way back to the fortress from next target and leave everything hidden there then pick it up on his way home.  
  
He found the man, killed him in a grisly enough fashion that should make Sasuke happy. Being a blackmarketeer, Kakashi assumed this man had double-crossed Sasuke. Kakashi wanted to get back in the Uchiha’s good graces.  
  
He and Bull, his loyal pack mule for this mission, picked up the rest of the goods, and went home. It was slow going with so much material. They arrived without sensing Sasuke. He and Bull deposited everything in the corridor leading to the restricted area, assuming Sasuke would want these things there.  
  
He took Bull out to kill him a nice deer just for him as thanks for acting as a beast of burden. He sat out with him as the large bull dog ate. Afterward, Kakashi rubbed his stomach and thanked him. Alone again with Sasuke. Or maybe not with Sasuke; Kakashi didn’t sense him.  
  
He’d been thinking as he was running around on this extended errand. He didn’t want this to go on, he didn’t want Sasuke to throw him away. He was also tired of lying to himself.  
  
Sasuke was back. Kakashi followed the chill of his chakra to the weight room. Sasuke was working on his arms, but stopped when Kakashi entered the room.   
  
“Finished?”  
  
“Your little scavenger hunt was amusing. I left everything near that door with the blood all over it.” That brought out a smirk. “I didn’t find another little note at the second location; I didn’t miss it, did I?”  
  
“No.” Sasuke turned away to work on another muscle group, ignoring Kakashi now that he’d reported in.  
  
“Sasuke, I really am sorry.” Sasuke turned around without any expression. “I was in agony every minute you were gone. I did worry about what Orochimaru might do to you. I didn’t realize I was abandoning you that night. You have no idea how much I wish I had stayed or at least taken you with me. You deserve to hate me for what happened to you. It is my fault.”  
  
Sasuke’s whole demeanor grew cold. “You took Naruto home and left me out there. There was only one direction I could have gone; you didn’t really try.” He started to turn away again. Kakashi got down on his knees and averted his eyes. That made Sasuke freeze.  
  
“You made your decision and I felt that if Naruto couldn’t dissuade you, there was no changing your mind. And I feared Orochimaru. We faced off once before, when I was defending you. I was ready to fight him and die to protect you, but he wanted you to come to him willingly. I knew him from before he left the village as well. I knew to fear him. If I had known they’d come for you that night I wouldn’t have left your side and would have died to defend you. I’m so sorry, Sasuke. I regretted not staying with you. I’m so very sorry, Sasuke. I love you. Always have. I’m tired of denying it. I’m in love with you, Sasuke.”  
  
Sasuke scoffed after a very seconds. “I brainwashed you without even trying.”  
  
“Hai. But I thought you were trying to turn me against Konoha.”  
  
“No. I wanted to isolate you and make you suffer at a post I knew you loathed, I wanted you to feel a little of how I felt. But no, I didn’t want you to hate Konoha. Or love me. Get off the floor.”  
  
Kakashi stood. Sasuke wasn’t looking at him. “You hate Konoha?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Good. Don’t worry, I won’t sic you on them. I’m nearly finished with them.” That last statement wasn’t comforting. “Go on, I have work to do.”  
  
“Let me help you.”  
  
Sasuke turned untrusting eyes on him. “No.”  
  
“Is there nothing you can trust me to do for you?”  
  
“No. I’m nearly finished. You recovered my stolen items and got revenge, that’s enough for now.” Sasuke grabbed his towel and wiped his face.  
  
“Where have you been sleeping?” Kakashi asked.  
  
Sasuke smirked. “Afraid I was with someone else?”  
  
“No. Concerned.”  
  
Sasuke’s smirk vanished. “Alone. I’ll send you to Tamaki. Don’t be summoning yourself to me though. Go where you want down there; I have no secrets in those cisterns anymore.”  
  
That night—or afternoon, Kakashi didn’t even know or care anymore—Sasuke summoned him back, but he didn’t come to bed. Kakashi feared noting had changed, feared that Sasuke may still cast him away now that he wanted to stay, punish him one way or another.   
  
Just as Kakashi was falling asleep, Sasuke came in. He cleaned up and changed and got into bed. It was the first time they slept next to each other since Sasuke had revealed how abandoned he felt. He had his back to Kakashi leaving a foot of space between them. Kakashi wanted to touch him, just hold him. Kiss his hairline. Take in the scent of his hair. Feel his body against his. He was hopelessly in love with Sasuke.


	11. Shifting Loyalty

Kakashi was beginning to believe Sasuke hadn’t been avoided him out of anger but out of embarrassment for showing that kind of weakness. Then again, right now it could be because Kakashi confessed he loved him. They weren’t even sparring. No sex, no talking, nothing. Kakashi believed Sasuke when he said that he hadn’t purposely brainwashed him, but if he had, it would have been a masterstroke: he now had Kakashi’s complete devotion while being able to torture him without doing anything at all.  
  
Sasuke did come to bed almost every night, but kept his distance from his bedfellow. That was the torture. The pain in Kakashi’s chest was maddening. He just wanted to be able to touch Sasuke even if Sasuke didn’t love him. So close, but so far away. After four nights of not being able to sleep due to longing and worrying about whether Sasuke might throw him away now, Kakashi slipped out of bed and dressed, careful not to wake Sasuke.  
  
He went to the laundry room where all the extra bedding was stored. The fortress was filled with empty rooms, but they were _empty_ , cold rooms. Kakashi threw in a load of laundry and sat against the wall, leaning his head on the churning washer, bundled up under spare blankets. He could have used his bedroll, but he’d always hated the things; they weren’t made to be comfortable, they were made to be practical; too much comfort on a mission and you wouldn’t wake up as quickly when danger approached; night ambushes were almost welcome as they got them out of the damn things.  
  
Kakashi dosed until the laundry was done, then transferred it to the dryer and relished the heat it created.  
  
He awoke to find the light still on and the machines silent. He felt good despite the position except for a slight crick in his neck. He stretched. He stopped mid-yawn when his eye caught something on the floor near him. A tray holding a cold breakfast. Sasuke had been here. Kakashi guessed Sasuke could be sweet sometimes.  
  
\-----  
  
They still didn’t talk, but that small gesture made the silence a bit easier: it was less tense now. Sasuke seemed to forgive him, at least a little. Kakashi continued to work in the cisterns with Tamaki and Sasuke continued to disappear to work on his experiments.  
  
Kakashi did notice a few new things around and a larger selection of food both in the fortress kitchen and in Tamaki’s. Sasuke had no doubt taken advantage of his ability to demand goods from the villages to get a few things he wanted for himself and those extra things Kakashi brought back from his little scavenger hunt were no doubt traded either for things Sasuke wanted or sold for cash. The cats were also high on catnip more often. At least Sasuke doted on them a little.  
  
Another week and everything was traded. Sasuke went off to his laboratory as much like a little kid at Christmas as the Uchiha could ever look and stayed there for several hours.  
  
Kakashi had discovered and raided Sasuke’s library. He had books and scrolls from Orochimaru’s collection as well as Madara’s; a few he’d obvious marked and used to create the seal on Kakashi’s arm. With an idea that it might better help him figure out what Sasuke was up to, Kakashi’d taken to reading these books on jutsu and chemistry and whatnot. He hadn’t discovered a bloody thing, but he was learning something, so he brought a few back to their bedroom to read now that he couldn’t get any enjoyment from his precious Icha Icha books—his own sex life was far more arousing and more dramatic than anything Jiraiya could imagine. He left the overhead light on its dimmest level and used the bedside lamp to read.  
  
Sasuke showed up that night looking worn and tired, but also relieved; he was relaxed enough to let his exhaustion show. He collapsed onto the bed next to where Kakashi was reading, throwing his arms over his head.  
  
“Everything is ready; I can begin in the morning,” he muttered.  
  
“Begin what?”  
  
Sasuke, of course, didn’t answer that. “You won’t see me very often for a while.”  
  
Kakashi actually laughed. “I hardly see you at all as it is.”  
  
Sasuke smiled softly. “You’ll see me even less.” He sank a little deeper in the mattress, his spine and joints cracking as he stretched a little. Kakashi couldn’t help but think he looked like a contented cat. Sasuke’s head lulled to the side so that he was looking at Kakashi with one eye over his arm, a soft look on his face.  
  
“I want to have sex, but I’m too tired to take the lead,” Sasuke said.  
  
Kakashi’s eye widened. Sasuke’s tone was so light that Kakashi felt comfortable enough to object. “I’ve never been in that position before and I don’t think my thighs are up to it.”  
  
It was Sasuke’s turn to laugh. “You think I meant I wanted you to ride me? That’s a good idea—an excellent one, in fact—but it’s not what I meant. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately because of you. I want you to take me. I used to love it and I suspect that I’ll enjoy it far more with you than I did with that damn snake.”  
  
Kakashi thought he’d have a heart attack. Sasuke wanted him to fuck him?! Kakashi had thought about it certainly—many times in fact—but faced with the possibility of actually doing it, he didn’t know which end was up. And that last part . . .  
  
“You want me to . . .” He couldn’t even say it.  
  
“I want you. To. Fuck. Me.” Sasuke started laughing. “I’ve never seen you look so scared.” The laugh was a bit seductive. Sasuke sat up and took off his shirt. “You’ve made me crave it again and I expect you to do something about it.” He lay back down and shimmied off his pants and boxers together. “It’s not like you don’t know what to do.”  
  
As unsure as Kakashi was about this, he wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass. He took off his shirt. Sasuke smirked and stretched to grab the lube that was never far away. Kakashi turned out the bedside light. Once Kakashi was nude, Sasuke presented the tube to him. Kakashi moved down to a comfortable position to prepare Sasuke.  
  
“How long has it been for you?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“Two years. Three. I’ve lost track of time. Since before Orochimaru’s death. Kabuto was the last. The bastard.”  
  
Kakashi felt a small spark of anger blossom in his chest. He did not want to think of Orochimaru or Kabuto violating Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke shut his eyes and relaxed as Kakashi’s fingers penetrated him. Kakashi watched Sasuke’s face. It was clear that Sasuke was either enjoying being fingered or was anticipating being fucked for the first time in years; his cock was half hard already and the look on his face was somewhere near bliss. Kakashi was nervous as hell, but the fact Sasuke wanted it so bad was a hell of a turn on. As much as he loved watching Sasuke’s face, he leaned in to suck Sasuke’s cock as he stretched him.  
  
Even with three fingers inside the experienced young man, Kakashi didn’t move to mount him. He wanted Sasuke so bad, but it felt just as awkward as the first time he had sex with Sakura. Sasuke seemed to be enjoying the fingering anyway.  
  
“Get on with it.” Though getting impatient.  
  
Kakashi extracted his fingers and knelt between Sasuke’s spread thighs. Kakashi didn’t notice until now how long Sasuke’s thighs were. He was looking everywhere but at Sasuke’s face. Sasuke rolled his hips up so Kakashi had better access. Kakashi lubed up while looking at Sasuke’s toned chest. He leaned on a hand next to Sasuke’s waist and guided his cock to Sasuke’s entrance. As much as he wanted Sasuke, he didn’t want to do this.  
  
Damn, he was hotter and tighter than Sakura. It was also more work pressing through that tight muscle. Fuck, it felt good, though a bit too tight. Intense pain blossomed in Sasuke’s ass, but as intense as it was, it was over quickly. Sasuke didn’t let the pain penetrate his stoic expression, but he let the ensuing pleasure show. It seemed like an eternity for Kakashi’s nine and half inches to fill Sasuke. Sasuke was sighing with pleasure. Kakashi stopped once he felt his balls touch Sasuke’s ass cheeks.  
  
“Feels so good,” Sasuke sighed as the ghost of the pain faded.  
  
Kakashi looked up at him and couldn’t help but love the sight Sasuke presented. But it killed him that Orochimaru and Kabuto had seen this first. He admitted it: he was jealous.  
  
“Rape me, Kakashi,” Sasuke begged after a few seconds of Kakashi’s lack of motion.  
  
 _Rape?_ His first time had been rape and he’d pretty much raped Kakashi. It made a strange sort of sense.  
  
“Never,” Kakashi breathed. Sasuke’s eyes opened to slits. “I love you too much.”  
  
Sasuke looked . . . disarmed. Kakashi didn’t give him time to react further; rather, he started moving slowly in and out of Sasuke’s body. Sasuke loosened up and felt even better. Sasuke whined and lifted his hips to meet Kakashi’s, trying to keep them high to force Kakashi in deeper. As Sasuke’s smooth, tight walls slid around his cock, Kakashi got lost and forgot his nervousness and misgivings and practically did the downward dog as he pounded into Sasuke’s lithe body. Sasuke was heaven. Sasuke lost it with a low cry, dragging Kakashi with him.  
  
Kakashi relaxed his body, though it still resembled a yoga pose. He rested his forehead on Sasuke’s chest as they both panted and relished the afterglow, endorphins flooding their blood streams. Kakashi didn’t perceive the smells of sex permeating the air around them, just the pounding of his heart and the rush each heartbeat sent through his body. Even his ears were numb.  
  
Kakashi looked up at Sasuke’s face: he was beautiful and, for once, accessible, completely off guard. Kakashi repositioned his knees outside of Sasuke’s thighs and moved up to kiss him. It was his first time initiating a kiss with Sasuke and Sasuke’s lips were soft and yielding. Kakashi never kissed anyone so passionately before. All his love for Sasuke came out as he plundered his mouth. Sasuke kissed back lazily. Kakashi threaded the fingers of one hand in Sasuke’s hair, his other hand blindly feeling for any of that smooth flesh it could find, roaming all over the left side of Sasuke’s pale body Kakashi could reach.  
  
As soon as he got his full erection back, Kakashi was back inside the wanton Uchiha. This time it was far more like love making with Kakashi touching him and trying to pull him closer. Sasuke yanked Kakashi’s hair and scratched his back, leaving burning welts. Sasuke couldn’t breathe anymore and pulled Kakashi’s head away. Kakashi decided to switch to Sasuke’s neck.  
  
“Fuck, yeah,” Sasuke sighed as Kakashi sucked and bit his sensitive neck.  
  
Sasuke rocked up and down, trying to increase Kakashi’s pace. Kakashi put his arms around Sasuke’s body and thrust into him hard. Sasuke found a rhythm so that he was rocking down into Kakashi’s thrust, but it was interfering with Kakashi’s nibbling on his neck so Kakashi held him tighter and dug his teeth in deeper to Sasuke’s neck. Sasuke got the message and just moved his hips.  
  
“Kakashi,” Sasuke sighed. Kakashi groaned into Sasuke’s neck.  
  
For once, Kakashi felt completely in control. He purposely slowed down to make this last longer. Sasuke whined in protest, but he didn’t do anything to force Kakashi to do anything. Kakashi relished Sasuke’s submission to him. He never wanted this to end; he had Sasuke, even for just this short time. All thoughts about what Sasuke had become was gone and just Sasuke filled his mind and senses.  
  
It couldn’t last. Sasuke was close enough that he was desperate for release. He started fighting Kakashi’s moderate pace and was rocking again, forcing Kakashi to stop nursing on his neck. Kakashi brought up his head and looked down at Sasuke’s face. He wanted to keep looking at him, but he shut his eyes and let himself just feel the pleasure of Sasuke’s tight body trying to milk him.  
  
This time Kakashi cam first. Sasuke felt the throbbing of Kakashi’s cock releasing within him and just the idea of being filled helped him cum between their bodies. Sasuke’s body relaxed and uncoiled from around Kakashi’s except for a hand that grabbed Kakashi’s hair to pull him closer and prevent him from moving away. Kakashi let himself be led and rested his head on Sasuke’s shoulder. He lay on Sasuke’s body, feeling the cum sandwiched between them. Sasuke absently combed Kakashi’s hair; the hypnotic action eased them both to sleep.  
  
\-----  
  
During the night, Kakashi had turned onto his back and Sasuke turned over as well to curl up next to him to use Kakashi’s chest as a pillow. Kakashi woke up without feeling in his arm with Sasuke’s weight on it. He couldn’t enjoy the moment with his arm feeling absolutely dead. He rolled further over to pull his arm gently from under Sasuke, not wanting to wake him. Sasuke whined and rolled away from Kakashi, but didn’t wake up. Kakashi raised his arm and fisted his hand to bring life back to it and suffered through the pins and needles as fresh blood coursed through his arm.  
  
Once the pain of the feeling returning to his arm subsided enough, Kakashi reviewed the night before and couldn’t believe that it had happened. The light was still on, dimmed to its lowest level. Kakashi sat up and felt the dried cum on his stomach. He rested his elbow on a raised knee and covered his lower face with his hand in a purely habitual gesture. He felt the same he had after he’d slept with Sakura for the first time: what did this mean for their relationship? But this time he wasn’t as worried: sleeping with Sakura could have ended any relationship between them, but with Sasuke . . . Kakashi hoped it meant a better relationship.  
  
He couldn’t help smiling at the memory of Sasuke submitting to him, letting him dictate everything that second time, and that show of affection as they fell asleep. He had no reason to get up except to wash up, so Kakashi lay back down.  
  
Sasuke groaned as he woke. He shifted onto his back and glared at the dimmed light in the center of the ceiling. He growled and turned his head to the side and saw Kakashi looking at him.  
  
Kakashi wanted to thank Sasuke for last night, but it didn’t feel right to just say ‘thank you’ for letting him fuck him twice. Rather Kakashi asked, “How are you feeling?” knowing that Sasuke hadn’t been fucked in years and knowing what it must have felt like.  
  
Sasuke’s expression smoothed. “Sore. I haven’t been this sore in a very long time. It actually feels good.”  
  
“I wish Orochimaru and Kabuto were still alive so I could kill them for what they did to you.”  
  
“You want someone other than yourself to blame.”  
  
“You’re right. But I also want to rip his dick off for what he did. I love you.”  
  
Sasuke’s sleepy eyes looked grieved. “I can’t feel like that anymore. I can’t . . .” he wouldn’t say the word.  
  
“It doesn’t matter. I love you.”  
  
“Don’t.”  
  
“Too late.”  
  
“I won’t. Look what love did to me; I won’t do it again.”  
  
“Just don’t throw me away; don’t send me back to Konoha.”  
  
Sasuke gave a mirthless chuckle and looked up at the ceiling. “I have a new hammer over your head then.” He sighed. “I have no intention of throwing you away. You’re the only one I trust.”  
  
“What about Tamaki and ‘Neko-baa?’”  
  
“Only man then. I also trust the cats and my hawks. They’re all sworn to me though.”  
  
“I thought about killing you so many times, but I just couldn’t do it. Sure you should trust me?”  
  
“You didn’t do it,” he said matter-of-factly. He turned onto his side and curled up next to Kakashi. Kakashi made sure his arm was under Sasuke’s head and not his chest this time. “I was waiting for you to do it.”  
  
Kakashi was reassured by Sasuke’s admission that he wouldn’t send him away, but he was still depressed. He hated Orochimaru more than ever. He also didn’t like that last part.  
  
“I love you. I just wish . . .”  
  
“That I loved you back?”  
  
“That we were back in Konoha without our sins hanging over us. You could love me then and I’d feel worthy of it.”  
  
Sasuke lay there for a few minutes before he got up. “Fend for yourself today, I won’t be around.”  
  
“I’ll help if you let me.”  
  
“No. It’s better if you don’t know about it.” Sasuke wasn’t doing anything to subdue Kakashi’s curiosity.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke wasn’t kidding; Kakashi would only see Sasuke every two or three days. They had sex a few times; Kakashi usually the one on his back, but not exclusively anymore.  
  
After two weeks, Sasuke finally offered Kakashi a way out of his boredom.  
  
“Bored?” Sasuke asked as he came over to the bed where Kakashi was reading.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Here,” Sasuke gave him a flimsy clothing box. “I had it made in Konoha. They know it’s for you, so it should be safe. I still checked it. An agent of mine needs to look more appropriate.”  
  
Kakashi sat up from his lounging position and opened it to find a shinobi outfit of pure black like the one Sasuke had ordered for himself and had only worn a few times that Kakashi was aware of. Underneath the shinobi uniform was a kodachi like the one he used when he was in ANBU. “Black is far more appropriate for a shinobi, don’t you think?” Sasuke said.  
  
“Your agent?”  
  
“Want to go out on missions again?”  
  
“What kind of missions?”  
  
“The smaller nations ask me for favors. They don’t hate me the way the Kage and their villages do. They have small armies and know they’re vulnerable. They understand that I’m preventing a war. I told them I won’t protect them forever; all their shinobi are readying to defend their nations. They ask me for help so they can concentrate on defense. I blow them off quite a bit; I don’t have time for their problems, but sometimes I help; no one attacks what’s mine. Since you have nothing to do, you can deal with their smaller problems; I’ll deal with any attacks. If a situation ends up being too much, you can always summon yourself to me, but only in emergencies. If you want me to bring you home, I’ll check on you with the seal. Just say you want to come home when you feel it burning and I’ll bring you home. You can stay out there as long as you want; I can always reel you in when I want you. We’re not seeing each other much now anyway.”  
  
“I’ll do it. One of the things I hated the most about being Hokage was that I couldn’t go on missions anymore.”  
  
Sasuke nodded. “First, I want your loyalty. Do you forsake Konoha? Will you become like me, a man with no home, no village, no nation? I will never ask you to attack Konoha or kill a Konoha shinobi unless it’s in my defense. Do you forsake Konoha and pledge your loyalty to me?”  
  
Kakashi paused. Could he forsake every oath he’d ever given? The village he was born in and defended all his life? The village he had sworn to defend and serve? The village that had killed his father and friends and sensei? The village that had destroyed Sasuke’s life? What about that one condition? Could he attack Gai or Genma or Tenzou or Sakura or Naruto if they attacked Sasuke? Would he defend Sasuke? Letting him die would probably hurt more than killing any one of them in his defense, but he could never forgive himself. Sasuke didn’t need defending anyway. Forsake Konoha? He could never go home anyway. He couldn’t face any of them again, couldn’t live there again.  
  
“I do.” It felt like a part of himself died, like something left him with that breath. It was over; he’d sold his soul to Sasuke. He really would do practically anything for him.  
  
Sasuke just blinked, but Kakashi was sure he was smirking inwardly. “My advice is stay out of the Five Great Nations unless you need to cross the border. No espionage. Deal with bandits, missing-nins, counter-espionage, guard duty . . . anything but a move against other nations. Hide your identity as much as possible except from the village heads. Be sure to collect payment. Use it as you will.”  
  
Sasuke turned away to gather his own weapons since Kakashi hadn’t brought many with him. Kakashi sighed silently. What did it matter? So he abandoned Konoha—willingly this time. Even though he always knew about the dirty backroom dealings of Konoha, finding out about Itachi had really shattered his faith in his home.  
  
If Sasuke was gathering weapons, he must mean for him to leave now. Kakashi had already showered so he changed into his new black uniform. It fit perfectly. That damn Sharingan. The gear felt excellent, not just well fitted, but made from comfortable fabric. If he’d known how good that man was at making combat gear, he would have thrown out his blue outfit and olive green vest a long time ago. Really, a red swirling target right over his spine? Then again, thinking about how Sasuke normally dressed, especially before the war . . . But Sasuke was arrogant enough to believe he could wear white on a battlefield and have nothing to fear—not even stains.  
  
“What are _you_ smirking at?” Sasuke asked.  
  
Kakashi didn’t realized that thought had made it to the surface. “Just how stupid the Konoha uniform really is. You’re right, we should be wearing black.”  
  
“And not a swirling red target on your back.”  
  
“My thought exactly.”  
  
Sasuke smirked. “I could slap a red and white Uchiha fan on your back which would be worse.”  
  
“I just swore loyalty to you, you could.”  
  
Sasuke’s smirk almost grew into a malicious smile. “It’s stitched in black on your back. No one will see it unless they’re staring at your back for a while. Tamaki added it.” Sasuke laid out his supply of kunai and shuriken on the table next to his orders. “You’re going to the Land of Rivers. Do you want me to transport you there, or you want to travel?”  
  
“Deposit me at the border. I want to gage the ground and the people.”  
  
Sasuke nodded and once Kakashi was packed, he sent Kakashi out.  
  
\-----  
  
As Sasuke’s emissary, Kakashi was surprised at the reaction he got in these smaller nations. His presence and help was greatly appreciated. These foreign shinobi weren’t gushing with admiration for Sasuke, but they were respectful and seemed genuinely appreciative of Sasuke and Kakashi. They had not joined forces with the Five Great Shinobi Nations against Madara and very few of their shinobi were killed by Sasuke. Sasuke hadn’t harmed them at all, though they resented his authority at first, then they realized if they didn’t have Sasuke’s protection, the Five Nations would have conquered them. And Kakashi was known to them. He had a good reputation in every nation as former Hokage and generally as a shinobi.  
  
He enjoyed being on missions again. Sasuke had given him his freedom: he could eat what he liked, go where he liked, buy anything he wanted. Working again was a vacation; a much needed vacation. But he gained his freedom by swearing loyalty to him.  
  
Kakashi came home every week, sometimes walking, sometimes asking Sasuke to bring him back. He was refreshed by the work and traveling through the wilderness. Being around other people and seeing a few places he hadn’t been to before was also very welcome. But he came home to a dark, cold, unchanging place with a pale, dour, overworked lover.  
  
Sasuke noticed the change in Kakashi, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Sasuke submitted to him more now. They both felt Kakashi’s virile energy return and Sasuke enjoyed the hell out of it. Kakashi had been stagnating since the war ended. The wolf needed to range.  
  
Tonight, after nine days of not seeing Sasuke, Kakashi maneuvered Sasuke onto his hands and knees on the bed and covered his body with his own. He pushed into him, eliciting a groan from the body beneath him. Kakashi’s body was larger than Sasuke’s and holding the smaller body against him like this ignited an instinctive desire to protect him. He growled and kissed Sasuke’s neck.  
  
“I love you.”  
  
Sasuke only moaned in response. For his part, he liked the feeling of Kakashi’s heavy body over him. Kakashi felt up Sasuke’s chest with one hand and slowly jacked him with the other. Sasuke arched up into Kakashi. He grabbed Kakashi’s hand from his chest and placed it on his cheek and sucked two fingers into his mouth. He played his teeth and tongue over those fingers. Kakashi caressed Sasuke’s smooth cheek with his thumb as Sasuke sucked his fingers. Kakashi rubbed his face in Sasuke’s thick, ebony hair.  
  
Kakashi’s other hand sped up as his own orgasm approached. Sasuke’s jaw slacked as he got closer and Kakashi removed his fingers and put his hand around Sasuke’s throat. Sasuke felt no malice and let Kakashi rub his exposed throat. Sasuke cam. Kakashi held Sasuke a little tighter and continued to thrust into him until he finally cam hard inside him. Kakashi’s body lay heavier on Sasuke’s back after he cam. Sasuke supported them both until Kakashi got his breath back. Kakashi kept his hold on Sasuke as he rolled over onto his side keeping Sasuke in his arms.  
  
“You never go outside, do you?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“I don’t have time. It’s taking longer than I thought.”  
  
“Come out with me for a while. Get some fresh air and sun. Just a few hours. You can be back here in an instant.”  
  
“Alright. I know good place.”  
  
\-----  
  
It was a beautiful spot. Two juts of land over a river a the waterfall and an orchard of cherry trees. Kakashi admired the scenery from his place flanking Sasuke. He wore his solid black uniform with his kodachi on his back. Sasuke was calm and relaxed and Kakashi stared at him more than at the scenery. The cherry blossoms should have reminded him of Sakura, but he didn’t think of her much anymore; she was better off with someone her own age. He thought—at least as far as relationships were concerned—everything had turned out for the best. He loved Sasuke and he felt Sasuke needed that. Perhaps one day he would break the Uchiha’s shell.  
  
Sasuke sat back against one of the trees and enjoyed the breeze feathering his face. Kakashi instinctively took up a guarding position; he knew his place. He’d fallen hard for him once he admitted to himself that he loved him; his life before being brought to the fortress permanently seemed like it had been another lifetime. He blocked out everything but the present.  
  
The roar of the waterfall was comforting though it cut off much of their hearing. The wind and birds were the only other things to hear. Kakashi felt as relaxed as Sasuke looked. The smell of the blossoms was mixed with the smell of the water and wet earth and sun warmed leaves.  
  
Kakashi smiled fondly when Sasuke fell asleep. He would have carried Sasuke home if it wasn’t an impossible distance away.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke woke from a dead sleep in their bed a few nights later. He looked around as if expecting to find an assassin. Kakashi woke up slower, wakened by Sasuke’s motion, but he didn’t sense anything.  
  
“Get dressed,” Sasuke said.  
  
“What’s wrong?”  
  
“Naruto’s awake.”  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke deposited him outside Naruto’s room. Sakura was already at Naruto’s bedside and Yamato was standing nearby. Sasuke had ordered him to wear his black uniform and not his Konoha uniform. Kakashi assented to that settle dig at Konoha.  
  
“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto said a bit weakly, but very happily. His hair was much longer, even longer than his father’s had been, but it really reminded him of Minato.  
  
Kakashi took a step forward, but the two ANBU guarding the room stopped him. “I’m sorry, Kakashi-sama, but we have orders not to allow you to approach Naruto-san.”  
  
Yamato looked at him apologetically.  
  
“I understand,” Kakashi said and took a step back. “How are you Naruto-kun?”  
  
“I feel terrible.”  
  
“I’m sure Iruka-san will bring you some ramen as soon as your system can stand it.” He became more serious. “What did Sasuke do?”  
  
“I don’t know. I don’t remember anything after I looked into his eyes.”  
  
“Sasuke said he was teaching you a lesson of some kind.”  
  
“I don’t remember anything.”  
  
“That might be for the best. Inochi should check you out though.”  
  
Yamato nodded. “He’s on his way.”  
  
“What’s going on?” Naruto asked. “Why aren’t you allowed near me? What happened while I was out?”  
  
“I don’t think I have enough time,” Kakashi said. “Are you well?”  
  
“I think so; I’m really weak.”  
  
“He’s healthy,” Sakura said. “He’ll just need training to combat the atrophy.”  
  
“I’m glad to see you’re well,” Kakashi said.  
  
“What happened to Sasuke?” Naruto asked. “They won’t talk about him.”  
  
“It’s probably best to wait to tell you everything, but Sasuke is alive and free.”  
  
Naruto leaned forward from where he was lounging back on propped up pillows. “Where is he?”  
  
“Naruto, you are in no condition to see him.”  
  
“Is he alright?”  
  
“You still want to save him?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved, Naruto. Even if you were able to drag him back, do you think he would have stayed? I think Sasuke would have bided his time and either suddenly attacked or fled. You can’t force him to listen or see reason. Don’t even try. If you did succeed now, he would just be executed.” Naruto looked shocked. Kakashi crossed his arms, the tips of his left hand touching the seal through his shirt. “Don’t you remember before you fought Sasuke? Sasuke can’t be forgiven for what he’s done. Forget Sasuke. The boy you knew is dead; that’s not Sasuke anymore.” The sadness in his eyes spoke volumes to them. “Get well and devote yourself to becoming Hokage. Forget Sasuke.”  
  
It hurt to see Naruto again. Naruto had been out of their lives during most of this saga and he was a symbol of happier—or at least stabilizer—times. Kakashi had cut himself off from Konoha by swearing loyalty to Sasuke and cut himself off from Naruto. That ball of sunshine and hope, his sensei’s son, was lost to him. But he didn’t regret swearing loyalty to Sasuke. At least not yet. Kakashi summoned himself back to the fortress.  
  
“What happened?” Naruto asked.  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Naruto,” Sakura said.  
  
“What did Sasuke do?”  
  
“Not now, Naruto, let’s get you stronger first.”  
  
Naruto turned to Yamato. “What’s going on? What did Sasuke do and why wasn’t Kakashi allowed near me? What’s going on? Where’s Baa-chan?”  
  
“A lot’s happened. Sasuke killed Tsunade,” Yamato said.  
  
Both Naruto and Sakura looked grieved. “Then who’s Hokage?”  
  
“Kakashi was made Hokage by—”  
  
“So you think I’m a danger to him?” Naruto was incensed even though he knew that Sasuke might have done anything to him with his Sharingan.  
  
“No, no. Kakashi _was_ Hokage. Some fear he may be a danger to you. It was Sasuke who named Kakashi Hokage. A few months ago, Sasuke replaced him with me and took Kakashi with him. There are fears Sasuke might use Kakashi to get close to you in order to assassinate you. Some question Kakashi’s loyalty. But I don’t think Kakashi would betray us; Sasuke was cruel to Kakashi while he was Hokage.”  
  
Sakura started crying as if Kakashi were dead.  
  
Naruto didn’t look good to begin with, but he looked worse thinking that Sasuke and Kakashi might be trying to kill him. He also didn’t like seeing Sakura cry.  
  
“There’s more, Naruto,” Yamato said. Naruto didn’t think he wanted to hear it.  
  
\-----  
  
Kakashi convinced Sasuke to come out again after another week. Sasuke was dosing again with the breeze caressing his face while sitting against a cherry tree. Sasuke had dedicated himself to his work even more since Naruto woke up and he needed the rest. The roar of the waterfall was not quite enough to drown out the few birds and it didn’t concern Kakashi; he was confident that they were safe here. Such a secluded place that had no connection to Sasuke; there should be no way anyone would find them here.  
  
Sasuke had said nothing about Naruto or what he’d done to Naruto and Kakashi really had nothing to report except the obvious: atrophy. They didn’t talk about Naruto again.  
  
Kakashi sensed multiple people approaching. He didn’t think, he turned and crouched, pulling his sword from its sheath to hold before him, ready to defend his master. Sasuke stood, instantly alert.  
  
They were surrounded. Sasuke turned only so much to eye Kakashi; Sasuke couldn’t help being the least bit suspicious; it was Kakashi who had suggested he come here; perhaps he’d arranged this with Konoha while he was visiting Naruto. Sasuke had been listening, but Kakashi might have written a message. But Kakashi had had a thousand opportunities to betray him. He’d laid his life before Kakashi and Kakashi hadn’t taken it. He hadn’t betrayed him; he was crouched ready to defend him. He might know he had Kakashi’s love, but he didn’t know if Naruto might divide his loyalties now.  
  
Kakashi looked into the faces of those approaching. He flinched at seeing Sakura. But before anyone could move or even say anything, Sasuke grabbed Kakashi by the back of the neck and the pair vanished.  
  
Shikamaru, who was leading this band, threw a kunai into the ground in frustration. “Whose side is Kakashi on?!”  
  
Sakura stood beside him. “He flinched when he saw me. I think he was going to lower his weapon.”  
  
“He’s kept so close to Sasuke, why doesn’t he kill him?!”  
  
“Sasuke must not trust him and not give him any opening. I can’t believe he switched sides.”  
  
“He’s his sensei,” Shikamaru sneered. “Naruto still hasn’t come to terms with Sasuke’s true self. Kakashi may still believe in him.”  
  
“He didn’t when he was Hokage.”  
  
“Sasuke’s been a compulsive traitor from the start, from Konoha, to Orochimaru, to Akatsuki . . .”  
  
“He didn’t learn it from Kakashi,” Sakura argued. “He was ever loyal to Konoha.”  
  
“Until now.” Shikamaru crouched and surveyed the area. “Why were they here?”  
  
Sakura’s eyes were fastened to her namesake. _Maybe Kakashi was thinking of me._  
  
“We’ll leave a team here to see if they come back and see if there’s something here.”  
  
“Just don’t cut anything down or dig.” That voice came from behind them. They turned. Kakashi was standing there with his hands up. “Sasuke sent me back as a messenger.”  
  
“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill the messenger to send my own message?” Shikamaru demanded.  
  
“Then you lose the one advocate you have next to Sasuke. I do have his ear.”  
  
“What’s the message?”  
  
“’Stop it. You’ll never kill me. What have I really done since I defeated you all to harm you? I’m keeping the peace, aren’t I? I’m even keeping you somewhat united against me. Do I really ask so much? I’ve asked very little. You criticize me for seeking revenge; that is all you are doing. Stop it.’”  
  
Shikamaru growled and looked away to think.  
  
Kakashi looked at Sakura, but she couldn’t tell what was behind his single eye.  
  
Kakashi met Shikamaru’s eyes when he looked back at Kakashi. “What have you done to help us?” Kakashi held Shikamaru’s gaze, but would not say anything. “Fine. We’ll retreat. Wait. Why were you even here?”  
  
“Sasuke would want to know the same thing about you. He was admiring the scenery. Don’t mar it out of spite. So much was destroyed in the war. And it would be a shame to mar the beauty of the cherry blossoms.” He looked at Sakura as he said that. “I think Sasuke would avenge it; you know how he is. Sakura, I—” Kakashi vanished, summoned back by Sasuke.  
  
“Retreat!” Shikamaru called.  
  
Back in the fortress, Sasuke was lounging in his throne when Kakashi returned.  
  
“You are a jealous bastard,” Kakashi said. He knew Sasuke was listening in on them from the burn in his shoulder.  
  
“I only sent you back to deliver my message, not to flirt with your former girlfriend. Did you sense anything before they showed up? Any idea how they knew we were there?”  
  
“Nothing. I reacted as soon as I sensed something.”  
  
“Passive sensors of some kind? But why have any there?” Sasuke thought for a few seconds and then Kakashi noticed Sasuke’s skin grow paler; difficult with his natural pallor. “I’ll look into this.” Sasuke stood and vanished.  
  
Sasuke returned half a day later. Kakashi was roughhousing with his hounds in an unused room when Sasuke tracked him down and gave him an annoyed look.  
  
“When you’re finished . . .” Sasuke walked out.  
  
“Kid’s still got a stick up his ass,” Pakkun said.  
  
Kakashi wanted to say that that wasn’t all Sasuke had up his ass. Kakashi sent his pack home and went back to the bedroom. Sasuke was lying on the bed.  
  
“I’ve really screwed up,” Sasuke said.  
  
“You’re only realizing that now?”  
  
Sasuke scowled at him then settled back down. “It was Juugo. He’s working for Konoha. He was with Suigetsu when I went looking for him. I told Suigetsu I intended to kill all those who opposed me. Suigetsu readily agreed to help me. Juugo followed me until then because I could stop his murderous urges; he wouldn’t join us. I did always intend to use him as a weapon; he wasn’t so blind not realize that. Now, he’s joined with my enemies and is scouting for them using birds. I guess someone else in Konoha has found a way to help him.”  
  
“How did you find out?”  
  
“Kurohoshi and I went to Konoha and didn’t just stay in the Hokage’s office. Being an adorable, affectionate cat has a lot of advantages. Juugo is there and Kurohoshi overheard someone talking about Shikamaru’s encounter with us.” Sasuke didn’t mention that he’d also heard something like ‘Sakura didn’t tell him?’ Sasuke didn’t make any conjectures about what they meant by that, but he wasn’t going to mention Sakura if he didn’t have to.  
  
“I was slightly out of my mind when I impaled Karen to kill Danzou and told Sakura to kill her. I didn’t intend to turn any of them into enemies.”  
  
“And Suigetsu?”  
  
“Suigetsu won’t be anyone’s pawn for long; that was always understood between us. I fucked up with the others.”  
  
“You turned everyone against you, even Naruto, Sakura, and I.”  
  
“You’re making me feel so much better,” Sasuke sighed sarcastically. “I didn’t give a damn about the rest of you, but I felt some responsibility for them since I chose them and led them. It does depress me.”  
  
“You didn’t care if you lost us?”  
  
“I wanted nothing more than for Naruto to forget about me and respect my decision to leave and follow my own path; I never liked Sakura and wanted her to go the fuck away. As for you? I blamed you. I nearly killed you on that battlefield. I didn’t care anymore. I wanted you all dead. The whole world died when I learned the truth about my brother. That anyone else lived while my brother was dead . . .”  
  
“How do you feel now?”  
  
“I don’t care. My rage is mostly gone. I just want . . . Another month. I should be done in another month.”  
  
“What then?”  
  
Sasuke never answered that question whenever Kakashi asked it. Kakashi was starting to fear Sasuke intended suicide. Sasuke had been cryptic, especially when he said he expected Kakashi to murder him. He didn’t say he would have stopped Kakashi. Kakashi went around to his side of the bed and crawled over to Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke looked straight up into Kakashi’s eyes. “You smell of dog,” Sasuke said.  
  
“I don’t complain when you smell like cat or chemicals.”  
  
Sasuke’s eyes were relaxed and inviting. Kakashi kissed him. When Sasuke kissed back lazily and threaded his fingers in Kakashi’s hair, Kakashi moved to straddle the younger man. This is what Kakashi had wanted, the freedom to touch and kiss Sasuke when he wanted, to make love to Sasuke, to actively contribute to his pleasure. Even with Sasuke depressed, Kakashi was happy. Sasuke was his right now and he could do something to take Sasuke’s mind off his mistakes. They had both made so many of them.  
  
Kakashi shifted his weight onto his knees and carefully undressed Sasuke without taking his lips away. Un-zipped, buckled, and tied, his clothes now just laying open and loose on his body, Sasuke reached up and started stripping Kakashi. Finally, they had no choice but to separate and remove their clothes. Kakashi was back on him as soon as their bodies were bare.  
  
Sasuke lay there and kissed back weakly. It concerned Kakashi a little; this wasn’t submission, it was surrender. Part of him wanted to stop, afraid that Sasuke was just letting him take him like he let Orochimaru, but he knew Sasuke wanted it, needed it, but he was just too depressed. Kakashi knew the feeling.  
  
On the contrary, Sasuke was sinking into Kakashi’s former position, wanting Kakashi to use him in order to punish himself.  
  
“Try not to think,” Kakashi whispered against Sasuke’s lips. “Or just think about how I love you.”  
  
“Don’t mess around, Kakashi.” Somehow, Sasuke’s voice remained hard. “Just fuck me.” He knew asking Kakashi to rape him wouldn’t get him the result he wanted.  
  
But that didn’t work either. Kakashi entered him slowly and made love to him slowly. It was pissing Sasuke off. Then Kakashi started caressing his sun-starved body, like he was precious and fragile and sacred.  
  
“Stop it,” Sasuke muttered. But Kakashi didn’t stop. Sasuke cringed and pushed him away. “I said stop it!” But Kakashi was back on him instantly. He didn’t try to mount him again, but he was touching him again, his lips gliding gently down his cheek and a caress down his abdomen. Sasuke tried to get away, but Kakashi seized his wrist while his other hand took hold of Sasuke’s chin. There were tears in his eyes.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“I don’t want you touching me like that.”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
“I just want to be fucked. I’m not fragile; I’m not going to break.”  
  
“Aren’t you?” He kissed him.  
  
Sasuke struggled away. He growled. “I’m not . . .”  
  
“Yes, you are. You’re so close to shattering.” Kakashi stroked his hair. “I saw you before that night; I know how your personality changed. You know ever since then what everyone’s call you? The Ice Prince. Ice shatters or it melts. Just relax, Sasuke. You’ve never been loved before. Relax.”  
  
Kakashi kissed the back of his neck and pulled him back under him. “Why don’t you like it? It’s odd that you love to do and for me to do to you things that were forced on you, but something I’m sure Orochimaru didn’t do to you, you loath.”  
  
“You think he didn’t caress me possessively?”  
  
“But not lovingly. I live for you now, Sasuke. I love you so much it’s painful. Orochimaru didn’t love you, did he?” Kakashi kissed Sasuke, not letting him answer. “Or do you feel as unworthy of it as I do?”  
  
“Fuck you.”  
  
“Alright.”  
  
Sasuke gave an amused huff. “Stop psychoanalyzing me while we’re having sex. I know you’ve been doing it in your head since the beginning. Stop it. And stop touching me like that, damn it!” Kakashi looked down at him fondly. “You’ve become rather bold recently.”  
  
“Like most other things nowadays: that’s your fault.”  
  
“I should have just killed Sakura and not given into you.” That straightened Kakashi’s spine; he didn’t even know what to make of that statement. “Are you going to finish? And go faster if you don’t want me to let things go back to how they were.”  
  
Kakashi decided he made his point and it was better to do what Sasuke wanted. Kakashi slid back into him and grabbed the back of Sasuke’s left knee to pull it up toward Sasuke’s chest. He fucked Sasuke hard. Sasuke groaned in pleasure.  
  
Sasuke threw his arm up next to his head and he turned his face to the side as he luxuriated in just feeling. Kakashi’s heart hurt thinking that Orochimaru had seen Sasuke like this. He doubted Orochimaru had loved Sasuke; if he had, Kakashi wouldn’t feel so angry about what he’d done to Sasuke. But he’d still be jealous, but he wouldn’t pity Sasuke so much.  
  
Sasuke didn’t move, just let Kakashi use his body. Kakashi worried that this was how Sasuke was with Orochimaru. He would have stopped except Sasuke needed the distraction. He aimed right for Sasuke’s prostate and used his lube-smeared hand to jack Sasuke, trying to give him enough pleasure for him not to think. Of course, Kakashi knew from experience that your mind will wonder where it willed even while being fucked senseless. Kakashi was relieved when it was over. He stayed hovering over his lover.  
  
“You never said whether you enjoyed it better with me or Orochimaru.”  
  
“You need to ask?”  
  
“It’s nice to hear.”  
  
“Yes, I enjoy it better when you do it. Orochimaru was . . . he didn’t really care about me. He only wanted me to cum so that I would willing let him fuck me. Neither of them loved me.”  
  
“I’ll always love you.”  
  
“Would you love me if I killed everyone in Konoha?”  
  
“You asked me something similar before.”  
  
“I was just talking about your family and friends. I’m talking about everyone you’ve ever spoken to or even ever seen. Would you still love me if I killed them all?”  
  
“Hai.”  
  
Sasuke gave a small laugh. “Like how I feel about my brother. As long as I knew he loved me and didn’t kill our family out of malice or to torture me, he could kill the whole world and I’d still adore him.”  
  
“Ah. Is that what you’re planning?”  
  
“To slaughter Konoha?”  
  
“Please, don’t do it. I deserve your animosity and punishment; I could have saved you. Leave everyone else alone; I’ll take the burden alone.”  
  
“It wasn’t just you. I’ve spared Sakura on your account, don’t ask me to spare any more.”  
  
“Please, Sasuke. You know how hollow revenge is now, don’t you? Just let them go.”  
  
“Not yet.”  
  
That gave Kakashi a chill. “Please, Sasuke. You’ve already won.”  
  
Sasuke chuckled. “You call this winning? I’m living underground, literally. I can’t show my face in any civilized place, my family is still dead, I have very few people I can even be around without them cowering in fear or trying to kill me. Talk about a hallow victory.”  
  
Kakashi didn’t respond. He was right of course: Sasuke wasn’t living in fear, but he wasn’t living comfortably. Kakashi moved to lie next to Sasuke.  
  
“If you had to, who would you kill: Sakura or me?”  
  
Kakashi was surprised by the question, but he considered it seriously. “I’d rather kill myself rather than either of you; I couldn’t do it.”  
  
“What if you could only save one of us?”  
  
“You don’t need protection.”  
  
“Knocked out.”  
  
“You. I do love you more.”  
  
“I can’t guarantee it—even I can’t foresee everything that might happen—but I give you all the assurance I can that I won’t harm her and I won’t put you in the position to make that choice.”  
  
“I appreciate that.”  
  
“You think I’m planning something diabolical, don’t you?”  
  
“Not diabolical. Cruel, not diabolical. I think you’re planning your final revenge. A coup de grâce of sorts.”  
  
“Maybe. I am planning one last insult, but it may not come off as I want. Maybe I’ll finally be free. I just wish Itachi was alive.”  
  
“So do I. I sincerely wish he was alive.”  
  
Sasuke was admittedly depressed and Kakashi could hear and feel how deep it was. Kakashi turned and held him. He smiled.  
  
Sasuke felt Kakashi’s cheek move. “What are you smiling about?”  
  
“I’m just glad you’re not pushing or twisting away from me.”  
  
“I’m the one who brought you here.”  
  
Sasuke didn’t comment on widening of Kakashi’s smile.  
  
Kakashi hated leaving Sasuke the next morning—it was evening, but for all intents and purposes, it was morning. Sasuke woke up when Kakashi got out of bed.  
  
“I’m expected in Ame,” Kakashi said. “You might as well sleep a little longer.”  
  
“Stay longer and I’ll just send you when you’re expected.”  
  
“Which is in an hour. I’ll wake you.”  
  
Sasuke did go back to sleep while Kakashi showered and dressed. Kakashi didn’t like having to wake Sasuke. Sasuke fell back to sleep after Kakashi was safely transported to Ame.  
  
\-----  
  
Peace was never to last in their lives—or between them. Nearly two weeks into Sasuke’s theoretical month until he was finished with his work, Sasuke told Kakashi to accompany him to Konoha to visit Itachi’s memorial. Kakashi, of course, agreed.  
  
Kakashi didn’t even look at the memorial when they arrived. He immediately bowed his head in his position flanking Sasuke. He was really here as a guard, to make sure Sasuke wasn’t disturbed as he grieved, but he offered his own prayer to Itachi before he turned around to keep watch. A flash of rage from his companion made him look up before he could turn. Scrawled around the memorial were words like ‘traitor’ and phrases like ‘rot in hell.’ Red paint dripped from the talons and beak of the raven. Kakashi turned to see Sasuke’s face. _Shit._  
  
“Summon one of your ninken,” Sasuke growled.  
  
The order surprised him. “Huh?”  
  
“Summon your ninken!” Sasuke shouted.  
  
Kakashi obeyed before Sasuke struck out at him. Pakkun appeared.  
  
“Track down the one who defaced the memorial,” Sasuke growled at him.  
  
Pakkun could see that it meant death for whoever had done this. He looked at Kakashi and Kakashi gave a single nod and the dog obeyed. There were two trails, Pakkun followed the newer one. It led into the Hokage tower. Sasuke walked in as if he were Hokage and Kakashi followed, wondering where ANBU was at the moment while Sasuke seemed completely unconcerned by them. Pakkun stopped in the cells in the sublevel. Sasuke was reaching for the door when Kakashi sensed an attack.  
  
“Shit,” he whispered and leaped back. ANBU had chosen to show up now.  
  
Sasuke’s sword was out instantaneously to block a strike. There were seven attackers and Sasuke dealt with them all with Chidori spears which radiated out of Sasuke as if he were some kind of sea urchin. Kakashi instinctively—but unnecessarily—hit the deck; he was in no danger from Sasuke at the moment. He was on his back, looking to see what damage Sasuke had done when the eighth member of this group leapt out of the shadows. But he wasn’t aiming for Sasuke, he was aiming for Kakashi. Kakashi took out a kunai, but just before their weapons met, three Chidori spears skewered the attacker’s right arm. The force of the jutsu sent the attacker flying into the nearby wall and pinned him there.  
  
Yamato arrived as Sasuke let the spears dissolve. As if nothing had happened, Sasuke opened the door to the cell holding the one who had defiled his brother’s monument. Yamato was about to speak, but Kakashi beat him to it. Kakashi stood and grabbed Sasuke. To Yamato’s surprise, Sasuke didn’t try to shake him off.  
  
“Please, Sasuke, they arrested him. He’ll be punished. Please don’t do this.”  
  
Sasuke took a step forward. Yamato turned on the light. Sasuke stopped dead. It was a kid. Kakashi was just as surprised to see a kid no more than eleven years old. Sasuke glared at the kid for several moments. The boy was terrified; he’d seen everything that happened outside his cell and he was now looking into a Sharingan. Kakashi realized that the kid had wet himself.  
  
“Sasuke,” Kakashi pleaded softly.  
  
Sasuke vanished out of his grip and Kakashi was summoned away a second later. Kakashi barely perceived the change in location before he was punched in the cheek. He was startled enough and the punch so forceful that he fell to the ground.  
  
“Get up!” Sasuke bellowed.  
  
Sasuke had certainly scared him before, but never more than now. Sasuke hadn’t killed that child, but he was not going to forgo some kind of revenge. Kakashi feared that Sasuke was truly blind with rage and wouldn’t hold back. The Uchiha was vibrating with rage.  
  
Kakashi stood and prepared to defend himself. Sasuke attacked. Sasuke was so full of rage and Kakashi so shaken by the sudden attack that he was barely able to defend himself. Sasuke’s blows kept landing. Kakashi’s leg gave out and he fell.  
  
“Get up!” Sasuke roared again. Kakashi obeyed, but slowly. Sasuke renewed his assault until Kakashi fell again. Sasuke ordered him to stand again. Kakashi tried, but he was barely able to push his chest off the ground. He sunk to the floor and blacked out. Sasuke’s shouts to get up couldn’t reach him anymore.  
  
\-----  
  
When Kakashi opened his eyes, he tried to cover them immediately; it was far too bright. There was a tug against his right hand, so he relaxed it and used only his left to cover his eyes. Nothing about the room felt right. He squinted and tried to look around. A hospital room? The tug was the IV in his hand.  
  
Shizune looked up from her chair against the wall, altered by motion. She stood and approached, smiling weakly.  
  
“Shizune?”  
  
“How are you feeling?”  
  
“In pain.”  
  
“You’ll be alright, Kakashi. You got here in time.”  
  
“How?”  
  
“You just appeared in the hospital lobby. They called Sakura and I in to care for you. We stopped the bleeding and set the bones. You’ll make a full recovery if you stay here for a while.”  
  
Kakashi remembered most of what happened that night. “The kid?”  
  
“He’s alright. He might need some therapy, but he’s unhurt. The eight ANBU who attacked are all alive. Seven will recover, but the one that attacked you lost his arm. Sasuke’s attack shattered the bones and burned too much tissue to save it. But none of them died. Two others did though. The next morning, two of our shinobi were found in the training grounds. Sasuke seemed to have chosen them specifically. They were taken from their homes and brought there. He could have killed any number of shinobi that were closer to hand, but he chose those two. It looks like he fought them like he did you except he let you live. We don’t know why he chose them, they weren’t particularly strong or weak opponents.”  
  
“You said ‘the next morning.’”  
  
“You’ve been out for two days.”  
  
Shizune looked at him eyes full of concern. She was a little in love with Kakashi, but Sakura had got to him before she even realized her own feelings. Especially since she began to suspect what Sasuke was really doing to Kakashi, her heart went out to him and she was compelled to comfort and nurture him. Sakura couldn’t do it since Kakashi wouldn’t let her know what was really going on. Shizune had arrived at the hospital before Sakura and saw the love bite on Kakashi’s neck. She had suspected what Sasuke was doing to Kakashi ever since he came to her to heal those scratches on his back and the moment she saw that bruise, she knew what it was. She slapped a bandage over it before Sakura arrived.  
  
Shizune was staring at him, but was able to hide the adoring look behind concern. Kakashi suddenly thought about his mask. He reached up and found a surgical mask there, the eye patch was gone, but his lower face was covered.  
  
“Sakura made sure no one saw your face but her,” Shizune said.  
  
“Where is she?”  
  
“She should be back soon.”  
  
Shizune went over his injuries until Sakura ran in. She heard Shizune talking from the hall and knew that meant Kakashi was awake. She wanted to throw herself on him and hug him and kiss him, but she knew how badly injured he was. Instead, she grabbed his hand with her shaking one.  
  
“How are you?” she asked.  
  
“Alive.”  
  
She smiled even as tears flooded her eyes.  
  
Later that night, with Kakashi passed out on pain killers, Sasuke arrived. He glanced at Kakashi before grabbing his charts and reading it over. Severe blood loss, internal bleeding, punctured lung, broken clavicle, three broken ribs, two cracked ribs, broken sternum, fractured ulna, fractured femur, broken cheekbone, slight concussion.  
  
A shadow approached from behind him. Sasuke shot out an elbow, catching the ANBU in the face. Sasuke hit him in the arm enough to position him right in front of the open window and kicked him hard in the diaphragm and out into the night. He coldly went back to reading. He gave Kakashi another glance before putting the charts away.  
  
Sasuke transformed into Neji, the only powerful, stoic shinobi Sasuke could think of from this village. He went to the nurses’ station.  
  
“Excuse me, when will Kakashi-sama be well enough to discharge?”  
  
“About another three days. Shizune-san and Sakura-san are tending him. We just have to wait for everything to heal a bit more.”  
  
“He’ll make a full recovery?”  
  
“Most likely.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Sasuke broke the transformation and went home as soon as he was out of sight.  
  
\-----  
  
They knew Sasuke had been there. The ANBU Sasuke had kicked out of the third story window had lived. Sakura knew they couldn’t save Kakashi from him though she’d hoped that Sasuke beating Kakashi nearly to death and leaving him in the hospital lobby meant he was finished with him. But Sasuke had been there.  
  
Sakura, Shizune, and Yamato talked about removing the seal from Kakashi’s arm, but that type of seal went deep and couldn’t just be cut away. If they could remove it, Sakura would take Kakashi and run and hide from Sasuke. But Sasuke would always find them. She didn’t know that Kakashi would also do everything in his power to return to Sasuke.  
  
Kakashi woke up to a burning in the seal. “Sasuke,” he whispered. The burning stopped. There was no one in the room and Sasuke had cut him off. He felt alone and abandoned.  
  
He didn’t know it for the first few days, but he had another visitor while he was asleep: Kurohoshi. The black cat came in through the window and lay carefully on Kakashi’s arm or chest and purred. Kurohoshi came in every night. Kakashi woke up one night to find the warm, vibrating mass on his chest. He smiled and petted him. Kurohoshi meowed and rubbed his head against Kakashi’s hand. Kakashi wanted to talk to him, ask him about Sasuke, but he didn’t want to endanger the cat or anger Sasuke by hinting that this was more than just a friendly stray.  
  
Then Pakkun arrived while Kurohoshi was spying on Yamato. The dog reversed summoned himself to Kakashi’s side. Sakura had told Kakashi that Pakkun had stayed during the attack and after Sasuke and Kakashi vanished. Yamato had told Pakkun about Iruka finding the kid defacing the monument and hauling him into the tower that same day Sasuke had chosen to visit. He was going to spend the night in a cell to teach him a lesson. Sasuke had done far more than that. Pakkun and Yamato were still talking when they heard about Kakashi being deposited in the hospital and near death. Pakkun had stayed at his master’s side for some time before he had to return home.  
  
“How are you feeling?” Pakkun asked.  
  
“Better.”  
  
Pakkun shook his head, saying silently that Sasuke wasn’t worth it. Pakkun knew Kakashi loved Sasuke—he couldn’t hide it from him of all beings. Kakashi shook his head just as deliberately to say that there was no way he could leave or kill Sasuke, which was what Pakkun wanted him to do.  
  
“Then we will,” Pakkun said.  
  
“No. You wouldn’t survive the attempt.”  
  
“We can try.”  
  
“No.”  
  
“We are bound to follow your orders, but he has to be killed. Nothing good comes from leaving him alive.”  
  
“Break the contract if you want, but please, don’t try to kill him.”  
  
Pakkun put his head on Kakashi’s hand. “We dogs are loyal.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“But look what he did to you and you had nothing to do with it. He turned on you. He’ll kill you one day. And for nothing.”  
  
Kakashi shook his head. “No. I know what it feels like. I know how he feels.” He did know all too well what Sasuke had felt that night. His father’s grave was vandalized soon after Sakumo committed suicide; he understood the rage Sasuke felt and it brought back the grief. “I know what it’s like. I wish I had the strength to run away from all this: Konoha and Sasuke. I don’t.”  
  
“There’s really no running away from your memories.”  
  
“Tell me about it.”  
  
Yamato came to the door. “Sempai.”  
  
“Come in, Tenzou.”  
  
“Feeling better?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“Sasuke was just so angry, but he couldn’t attack a kid. He turned on me. He attacked me before, but nothing like that. Itachi is still a very sensitive nerve. He’s not usually like that anymore. He’s calmed down over the years, especially the last few months.”  
  
“What is going on over there? What is he doing?”  
  
“He doesn’t let me near his ‘projects.’ I can’t tell you the first thing about them. Except . . .” He considered his loyalty. His arm wasn’t burning. He thought about telling Tenzou that Sasuke was almost finished, but decided against that. “He promises that it’s not ‘diabolical.’”  
  
“What’s going on? I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been seen in some of the smaller nations.”  
  
“Running errands. I have a small bit of freedom and time away from the fortress, but Sasuke’s got a firm grip on me.” He shrugged his shoulder with the seal on it. “I don’t see Sasuke all that much really.” He was telling the truth.  
  
“He took you just to have an errand boy?”  
  
“That and he’s lonely.”  
  
“Why did you move to defend him when Shikamaru’s unit surrounded you?”  
  
“I didn’t know who they were, I was protecting myself.” Half truth.  
  
“Why were you even there?”  
  
Kakashi repressed a sigh. At least Tenzou wasn’t pretending this wasn’t a interrogation. “Sasuke hadn’t left the fortress in weeks and needed to get out. It’s one of the places he feels relaxed. I like that place as well. Don’t try another ambush; he’ll either attack or disappear.”  
  
“Did he attack you after that?”  
  
“No. But it still puzzles him how you found us.” A little lie.  
  
Now wait. They both realized they had inadvertently come to a test. If Tenzou trusted Kakashi, he would tell him how they knew where they were.  
  
“I’m glad our actions didn’t cause you any harm.”  
  
Tenzou no longer trusted him. It was almost like he wore a headband with the Uchiha fan engraved in it, as if his shifted loyalty was visible. That was fine. Kakashi had decided that he never wanted to come home. But it still hurt; Tenzou had been a friend. Kakashi almost wanted to laugh: only Sasuke trusted him. Even Pakkun wanted to defy him. Of all people, Sasuke trusted him. Once again, Kakashi had to wonder if this was all on purpose, if Sasuke was manipulating him. He didn’t really care. He just wanted to go home. Home to Sasuke.  
  
Tenzou looked sorry for not being able to trust his former sempai. His friend and Hokage. “Thank you for stopping him.”  
  
“I don’t think he would have attacked if I hadn’t tried to stop him. My appeal did nothing.”  
  
“You put yourself in danger to save one of us; thank you.”  
  
One of us. Kakashi wasn’t ‘one of us’ anymore. “But you don’t like the fact that I could grab him, but I haven’t killed him.”  
  
“It’s crossed my mind.”  
  
“He can feel murderous intent more than you and I, it’s a heightened sense for him. He knew I didn’t intend to harm him or I would have been skewered like the others.” That wasn’t the truth; Sasuke did have that sense, but he’d looked at Sasuke many times early on with the desire to murder him and Sasuke didn’t react in the slightest.  
  
“I’ve been told you’ll be released in the morning.” Tenzou didn’t have anything else to say.  
  
Pakkun growled. The two shinobi looked at the window. Kurohoshi stood there. He hissed at Pakkun.  
  
“Don’t worry about him,” Kakashi told Pakkun. Pakkun took an aggressive posture. “Pakkun!” The pug looked up at him. Kakashi gave him a warning look. Pakkun sat down. Kurohoshi ran off.  
  
Tenzou laughed. “Dogs and cats. Goodbye, sempai.”  
  
“Goodbye, Tenzou.”  
  
Pakkun looked up at Kakashi again. Kakashi knew that Pakkun hand scented Sasuke on the cat and Kakashi had covered for him, protected Sasuke’s cat. Pakkun sighed and vanished.  
  
Kakashi sat back. He wished he had someone to talk to about all this. Pakkun and the others didn’t seem like good options anymore. Thinking about his father a few minutes ago made him wish he could talk to Sakumo. Or even Minato. He couldn’t remember what his mother looked liked, she was so long dead. He wouldn’t trust anyone else with this. He didn’t care anymore what his family would think, what anyone thought, he loved Sasuke and had lost faith in Konoha. He was tempted to summon himself home now, but he needed to be healthy. He stayed.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke arrived in Kakashi’s bedroom the next morning after hearing from Kurohoshi that Kakashi was ready to be released. He was a menacing figure in his black cloak.  
  
“I’m told you’re ready to leave.”  
  
Shizune had pressed herself back against the wall when Sasuke appeared; now she glared at him. “Who told you?” she hissed.  
  
“I know about your poison jutsus,” Sasuke said. “You do know that Orochimaru made sure that I am immune to just about every known poison and venom in the shinobi world? He and Kabuto knew about your little tricks and I’m sure that poison was among the many I’ve developed a tolerance for. Kakashi, on the other hand, has not. Get ready to leave.” Kakashi started removing his hospital gown.  
  
Sasuke looked out the window, careful about the angle. His eyes softened. “It doesn’t look the same at all.” Shizune and Kakashi wondered at the wistfulness of that statement. He may hate Konoha, but he also missed it, missed the home he shared with his family and his brother. The Konoha he knew in happier times, before the slaughter and while a member of Team Seven was long gone.  
  
Shizune moved so that she could keep an eye on Sasuke while giving Kakashi some privacy to change.  
  
“You killed my master,” she said with a cracked voice.  
  
Sasuke turned bored eyes on her. “She died in battle. I gave her that at least. Do you think she really wanted to waste away as a burden on her loyal students? She died as a shinobi. Though, I’d wager she’d rather have died in a gambling din.”  
  
Kakashi had been hurrying, not liking where this conversation was or where it might be going. He stood up, fully dressed and ready to leave. Sasuke looked at him and Shizune couldn’t help noticing the fond look in Sasuke’s eyes when he saw Kakashi standing, apparently hale.  
  
“Does he need any other care or is he completely healthy?” Sasuke asked.  
  
Shizune sighed, knowing that there was no lie she could tell to keep Kakashi in Konoha. She turned to Kakashi. “Don’t stress yourself at all, take it easy for a while so the bones have time to strengthen. That’s it.”  
  
Sasuke nodded to her and surprised her by tossing a roll of Fire Country bills on the tray. He vanished and Kakashi was summoned away seconds later.  
  
In their bedroom, Sasuke asked, “Are you really okay?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
Sasuke looked contrite, but he didn’t apologize.  
  
“I don’t hold it against you,” Kakashi said. “I reacted in a similar manner when my father’s grave was defaced. I tried to kill the three chunin who did it, but I was just six and probably would have died if Minato-sensei hadn’t stepped in. I understand how you felt.” Sasuke nodded and stripped off his cloak. “Who were the ones you killed?”  
  
Sasuke hesitated then continued going to the closet to hang his cloak. “After I joined Madara, he took me to another base and we stopped to eat at a restaurant on the way. There were some Konoha shinobi there. I don’t know how they knew, but they were talking about Itachi’s death and how glad they were that he was dead, except they wish they had been the ones to do it. Madara stopped me from killing them then. In my rage last night, they came to mind. I left you at the hospital and sought out those shinobi. I found only two. The others weren’t in the village. I forced them to fight me like I did you and I killed them.” Sasuke sighed. “Do as she said: rest; don’t even think about going in the training or weight room. I need to get back to work. I’ll bring food when I can.”  
  
Later, Kakashi sat up in bed reading. Sakura had brought him another copy of Icha Icha Paradise and he continued now with his own copy. Sasuke came in with a tray of food. Kakashi came over to the table. It was a meal for one. Sasuke was gracious enough—or apologetic enough—to take the dishes off the tray for him. As he did, Kakashi saw scratches on Sasuke’s arm where the sleeve hitched up as he moved.  
  
Kakashi pulled the sleeve up to see the scratches better. “What happened?”  
  
Sasuke ignored Kakashi touching him and didn’t look at him. “Kurohoshi attacked me when he found out what I did. It pisses me off how fond of you he is. He was hissing at me; he never hisses at me. He used both paws.” Sasuke turned his arm to show more scratches.  
  
“Pakkun wants to kill you.”  
  
“That’s the rule, not the exception.”  
  
Sasuke turned to leave. Kakashi grabbed his sleeve again. “Come home tonight.”  
  
“Tonight’s subjective down here; did you forget? I have to finish before Naruto recovers.”  
  
“I don’t mind if you’re exhausted.”  
  
Sasuke was genuinely surprised that the man who he beat the shit out of was propositioning him for sex. Amusement replaced surprise. “You are a dirty old man.”  
  
Kakashi couldn’t help grabbing Sasuke and pulling him into his arms on his lap. Sasuke didn’t struggle.  
  
“Sex starved in the hospital?”  
  
“Completely.” Kakashi kissed Sasuke’s neck.  
  
“Good.” He wriggled away. “It’ll be more intense the longer you wait.” Sasuke left.  
  
Kakashi pouted and started eating. Then the absurdity of his own behavior hit him just as it hit Sasuke. He’d grabbed Sasuke like they were normal lovers.  
  
Well, why not? Why shouldn’t he treat Sasuke as a lover rather than an oppressor? How comfortable he had become here with Sasuke, especially since Sasuke started asking him to make love to him? He really didn’t hold Sasuke’s outburst against him. Sasuke had come back for him and shown that they were even more similar than Kakashi thought before.  
  
Kakashi turned to the meal. It tasted a little different than Tamaki’s normal style and wasn’t as pretty as she usually made the plates. Tamaki had said Sasuke was capable of cooking. Kakashi smiled. Sasuke could indeed be sweet.  
  
Sasuke did come home that night. Kakashi was asleep, but Sasuke finally found a good way to wake him up. At first Kakashi thought it was a wet dream. Soon he became aware that the silken feeling around his cock was real and woke up to see Sasuke between his legs in the dim light with his cock in Sasuke’s mouth.  
  
Kakashi sighed with pleasure. “Now that’s how you wake up a man.”  
  
Sasuke took Kakashi’s cock out of his mouth and rubbed it against his smooth upper cheek like a cat against a leg. Sasuke’s hadn’t shaved that pathetic excuse for a beard in a few days but he avoided scraping the stubble against Kakashi’s cock. Sasuke turned his head to lick the underside as he made his way down to Kakashi’s balls. A few licks there and he took Kakashi back into his mouth.  
  
Kakashi had wondered before why Sasuke loved sucking him off so much. He was turned on by sucking off Sasuke, but he didn’t enjoy it as much as Sasuke did. According to what Sasuke said, his first time sucking Orochimaru off was also sort of forced, or at least coerced, so Kakashi would have thought he wouldn’t like it as it wasn’t as physically pleasurable as being fucked.  
  
Then Kakashi remembered how much power he felt he had when he sucked Sasuke off early on; it was the control, the power of being able to force Sasuke into vulnerable state. It was the power, Kakashi decided. Without a hand on his head forcing him deeper and dictating his speed and motions, Sasuke had control. Being good at it meant that Orochimaru and Kabuto probably just let him go at it without forcing him to do anything. That might be why he grew to like it.  
  
Kakashi admonished himself for thinking too much, Sasuke probably knew he was doing it again. How could he not want to understand Sasuke? The boy he trained—even raised—for a year had become this.  
  
Sasuke gave Kakashi one last long suck. “Well, I came home. I assumed from the fact you went to bed in the nude what you wanted.”  
  
“I want you.”  
  
Sasuke crawled up Kakashi’s body and kissed him. He loved Sasuke’s mouth, loved those soft lips and wicked tongue. Sasuke was lazy and yielding tonight. Sasuke was already naked and Kakashi let his hands roam over his sides. Sasuke was thin; he could feel his ribs even more than before.  
  
Sasuke pulled away and guided Kakashi’s cock to his entrance, which Kakashi was surprised to feel was already lubed. Neither had rode the other like this before, but Sasuke seemed to know what he was doing. He was gorgeous fucking himself up and down Kakashi’s cock. Kakashi liked the view. He put a hand against Sasuke’s cock so that it rubbed against Kakashi’s hand as Sasuke moved. Sasuke shifted his angle to press harder against Kakashi’s hand.  
  
“Awake enough yet?” Sasuke breathed.  
  
“Depends for what?”  
  
“Fuck me properly; I always hated this position.”  
  
Kakashi didn’t like references to Sasuke’s time as Orochimaru’s lover, but he let that go. “If I wasn’t, I am now.”  
  
Sasuke moved onto his knees and Kakashi was on him instantly. Sasuke arched his back as Kakashi entered him again.  
  
“Fuck, that feels so good,” Sasuke sighed.  
  
Kakashi lightly bit Sasuke’s ear. Sasuke’s hair smelt of sweat and the smell of chemicals hung on him; Kakashi was coming to love the fragrance of those chemicals. He could tell Sasuke was tried. As their weight shifted, Kakashi felt Sasuke’s spine crack as the vertebrae slipped back into proper place. Sasuke came to him despite the fact he was exhausted. Was he as horny as Kakashi was or was he trying to make up for beating the shit out of him? Either way, it made Kakashi smile against Sasuke’s ebony hair.  
  
After so long apart, Kakashi was torn between drawing this out and just going madman on Sasuke. He opted for drawing out slowly then thrusting back in as fast and hard as possible. Sasuke wasn’t complaining at all, pushing back with every thrust. Two minutes of this controlled pace and Kakashi lost patience, he bent over Sasuke again and picked up the pace, holding onto to Sasuke for leverage, fucking him much like a dog in a rut.  
  
Kakashi tried not to lean too much of his weight on Sasuke since he was so tried, but he still fucked the younger man senseless. He really did, since as soon as Sasuke cam, he collapsed and hardly turned his face to the side before he was fast asleep.  
  
Supported on outstretched arms over Sasuke’s body, Kakashi smiled down at him. He was certain that as much as Sasuke was cruel to him and did hate him deep down, Sasuke wanted a lover, not a slave. He may hate him, but Sasuke also loved him. To be so relaxed in his presence and be contrite about something he’d done before without little consideration before was as good as the words. And Kakashi knew what it was like to desperately love someone just as you hated him. His dear, precious Sasuke. Was snoring.  
  
Kakashi would feel guilty jacking off there in bed with his sleeping lover, so he went into the bathroom to finish off. Kakashi had slept a lot recently, but he didn’t want to leave and really had nowhere to go. He turned off the light and then returned to bed.  
  
“I am sorry for attacking you,” Sasuke said out of the darkness.  
  
Kakashi was startled that Sasuke had woken up. “Apology accepted. Thank you.”


	12. One Step Closer

Sasuke kept Kakashi home for the next week, practically not letting him out of the bedroom so that he would heal. Kakashi liked to think that if their lives were a little more normal—and Sasuke wasn’t an evil bastard—Sasuke’d be serving him breakfast in bed and maybe even feeding him. Guilt brought out a slightly nurturing side. Very slight. In fact he did nothing but order Kakashi not to leave the fortress and he brought Kakashi food. But Kakashi could daydream about him being more nurturing. It was better than when he was thinking how like being in prison this was. He was bored to tears. Or at least to hanging half off the bed upside down brushing the floor with his hair.  
  
Sasuke was still working at a feverish pace to finish his work before Naruto came to kill him. They were a sorry pair: one injured and the other one exhausted. If Naruto chose now to attack, he would easily be victorious. Sasuke had bags under his eyes when he came back. Kakashi was sure that if Naruto didn’t kill him, working like this would.  
  
“You’re going out on a mission tomorrow,” Sasuke said. “It’s an easy thing, shouldn’t be a problem for you.”  
  
“Finally letting me out jail?” Kakashi sat up on the bed.  
  
Sasuke glared at him. “It’s an easy assignment, but you’ll be gone a week. The Land of Rivers doesn’t have a man to spare; Suna’s been scouting their border and they have most of their shinobi there to give the illusion they’re stronger than they are. Their Diaymo needs to be protected though.”  
  
“Understood.”  
  
“I don’t think he’s in danger, but you might get an opportunity to fight. Don’t overdo it.” Kakashi smiled at that. _Be careful._  
  
“Before you go though,” Sasuke took off his shirt, “I want to make sure you don’t get tempted.”  
  
“I’d be scared shitless of you finding out, which you could easily with this damn seal.”  
  
“I would flay you alive and do even worse to the other. You take the lead, I’m tired.”  
  
“That seems to be your new normal: tired and horny.”  
  
“I’ll be able to rest when I’m finished.”  
  
“Then you’ll go back to being _evil_ and horny?”  
  
Sasuke came over and grabbed Kakashi by the hair to being them nose to nose. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” What scared Kakashi the most was that Sasuke’s eyes weren’t the least bit playful; they’d become hard. “You called it rape, but you loved it from the start.” Sasuke’s eyes turned back to normal and let go of his hair. “But I’m far too tired; I want you to take control. I’ll be evil later.”  
  
Damn, he was good actor; he was now back to his tried, apathetic self he’s been for the last few months. Sasuke straightened and continued stripping. They were both wearing their civilian clothes and were quickly naked. Sasuke flopped onto his back. “We won’t see each other for a while; make it worth it.”  
  
Kakashi loved the unimpressed smart ass. Kakashi leaned over him and kissed him. He started off with a gentle, dry handjob while he explored Sasuke’s mouth. He didn’t need to break the kiss to reach for the lube and apply a generous amount to Sasuke’s erection, letting it drip down between his thighs. Kakashi resumed the handjob, using more pressure now, threatening to bring Sasuke off early.  
  
Before that could happen, Kakashi’s fingers followed the trail of lube to Sasuke’s entrance. He teased that ring of muscle as it eased open more from lust than from Kakashi’s ministrations. Kakashi was getting used to that, but it still made him angry that Sasuke was that used to being taken. Kakashi cursed Orochimaru to even deeper hells than he had before. He wanted to find himself in hell when he died just to be able to hunt that pale snake bastard down and be his torment for the rest of eternity. Only Sasuke’s moan of desire brought Kakashi back to the present, his mouth having been on autopilot while he was imagining what he’d to the pale bastard in hell. He returned his attention to the pale bastard beneath him.  
  
Sasuke had moaned to get Kakashi to hurry up and mount him. Kakashi understood and lubed himself up to enter him. Sasuke’s body accepted him gratefully. Sasuke lifted his hips to meet Kakashi’s and pulled at his body. The spoiled control freak could not let go, had to urge Kakashi to fuck him harder even though he told Kakashi to take control. That gave Kakashi an idea.  
  
Kakashi pulled almost all the way out and with his lips an inch from Sasuke’s. “You told me to take control; you mine for the night? Let me do what I want?”  
  
Sasuke opened his eyes, a little concerned what Kakashi meant by that—and by stopping. “As long as what you want includes you fucking me through at least two orgasms.”  
  
“That’s included.”  
  
Sasuke nodded.  
  
Kakashi pulled out and moved down to Sasuke’s cock. Sasuke wanted to object, so ready to cum from being fucked in the ass, but he’d agreed and he would let Kakashi have his way. Anyway, what man would say no to a blowjob?  
  
However, he would be regretting it soon. Kakashi started with just the head, swirling his tongue around it, sucking, and stabbing the slit with his tongue, tasting the precum that was already leaking from the handjob and fucking. His tight lips then traveled down Sasuke’s hard length, his tongue writhing in the wake of his lower lip. Sasuke loved the feeling of the head of his cock push against Kakashi’s soft palate. Kakashi moved so that he could swallow his entire length. Then he started humming. He’d never done that before. Sasuke didn’t recognize the tune and at this point he couldn’t care less what it was.  
  
He was so close. He was sighing and even let out a moan. But it was the whisper of his name that made Kakashi smile around the cock in his mouth.  
  
Sasuke was ready to shoot. So close. So close. Then he felt a hand grab the base of his cock, but that mouth didn’t stop.  
  
“Fuck!” Sasuke groaned and writhed. “Kakashi.” This time it was a growl, not a sigh.  
  
Kakashi pulled off. “Whatever I want. My chest and leg still hurt.” He didn’t wait for a response, just took Sasuke’s cock back into his mouth, letting it slide over the inside of his cheek. Then he started sucking and bobbing quickly up and down while purposely making lewd sucking sounds. Fuck it was sexy; it was torture to Sasuke not cum. Kakashi stopped to lick Sasuke’s full balls.  
  
Then Kakashi stopped mouthing his balls and even released Sasuke’s cock, but he quickly grabbed both of Sasuke’s wrists, pinning them above his head, and even pinned his thighs to the bed with his legs, keeping Sasuke from bringing himself off. Sasuke looked up into his eye and growled.  
  
“You are far too used to getting your own way. You’re a spoiled brat who throws a fit when you don’t get what you want. For once, let go. You can fuck the shit out of me afterward. Stay.”  
  
Kakashi let go of Sasuke’s wrists and kissed him briefly. He went back to Sasuke’s hips and licked his cock slowly, just enough to feel good, but not enough to make him shoot. Then he eased two fingers into Sasuke’s lubed hole. He didn’t go deep enough to prod his prostate, just enough that Sasuke enjoyed the feeling of being penetrated. He sucked and teased just the tip of Sasuke’s cock until he was close again, then he pulled away.  
  
“Bastard,” Sasuke breathed.  
  
“Honestly, I didn’t mind the ribs and sternum, but the collarbone and leg I resent.”  
  
“Fuck. I thought I was the vengeful one. It’s been over a fucking week.”  
  
Kakashi looked up at him with affection. Then he took the head back in his mouth and used his hand to jack Sasuke quickly. Sasuke downright growled at him.  
  
“I’m going to fuck the shit out of you.”  
  
Kakashi came up with a smack of his lips. “Promises, promises.” He pressed his thumb against the base of Sasuke’s cock to keep him from cumming and mouthed his balls.  
  
“Son of a bitch,” Sasuke snarled. “If you don’t make me cum soon, I’ll kick your ass twice as hard as that night.”  
  
“Don’t you meant ‘let?’” Kakashi squeezed Sasuke’s scrotum tight and ran his teeth lightly over them.  
  
Sasuke hissed. “When did you become an evil bitch?”  
  
“Collarbone.”  
  
“Just fuck me already.”  
  
“I’d make you suck me off right now, but you enjoy that too fucking much.”  
  
“I promise not to jack off,” Sasuke said seductively.  
  
“I think you could cum with a cock down your throat.” Kakashi took him balls deep in three quick thrusts.  
  
“Fuck. Like you don’t love it too.”  
  
Kakashi rose. “Not as much as you.” He now focused on the head, licking the precum right from the slit. Then he brought his hand back into it, stroking him as he teased the head with his tongue. He moaned, vibrating his lips around the edge of the head and the tongue in his slit.  
  
“Please, Kakashi. Please, fuck me.”  
  
Kakashi pulled away and Sasuke was relieved, believing that mean he was finally going to fuck him, but Kakashi came back up to kiss him, again restraining his wrists and thighs. Sasuke was all teeth by this point. Kakashi gave up on that and switched to his nipples.  
  
“Fuck me, already. I’m sorry about breaking your fucking collarbone, alright?!”  
  
Kakashi came up to look him in the eye. “Was that so hard?”  
  
“I apologized a week ago! You are in so much fucking trouble.”  
  
“I think I’ll survive it.”  
  
“I don’t think I like your newfound confidence.”  
  
“I think you do. You could have kept me cowed if you wanted to.”  
  
Kakashi released Sasuke and finally reentered him. Sasuke let his whole body move as Kakashi fucked him for a while then he dug his heels into the mattress near his ass, his knees practically pressed into the mattress as well, doing anything to get Kakashi deeper.  
  
“Come on, fuck me.” Sasuke growled the most guttural growl Kakashi had heard from him. He continued to swear between groans and the occasional growl of frustration when Kakashi slowed down and changed his angle of attack.  
  
Kakashi grabbed hold of a nipple and twisted it. Sasuke cried out and Kakashi hit his prostate directly and Sasuke lost it. Rather than a sustained cry, Sasuke let out several short cries as he cam on Kakashi’s torso. He cam hard and sunk into the bed. Kakashi had been holding back and he cam inside Sasuke’s body with relief. It had been as trying for him as it was for Sasuke.  
  
“I hate you,” Sasuke breathed, but there was nothing behind those words; Sasuke’s face was lax and his eyes blurry and hooded with afterglow.  
  
“You said two,” Kakashi said, “ready for another round?”  
  
“No. I think that’s all I had.”  
  
Kakashi smirked. “But you made me promise two.”  
  
Sasuke glared at him. Kakashi’s smirk turned into a smile; he was content to stop for the night. As he lay down beside Sasuke, Sasuke gently hit him with the back of a limp hand. “I’ll get my revenge when you come home.”  
  
Kakashi lay down. “That is what you’re best at.”  
  
“Is it?”  
  
“The sex is pretty good too.”  
  
“I knew you loved it. You know, you beat the shit out of me too, when I teased you about your father. It was the same thing.”  
  
“True. Did I ever apologize?”  
  
“No need. That, I deserved.” Sasuke was quiet for a while and then hummed. “I think we both enjoy being fucked for the same reason: we feel nothing but nihilism and despair. We have no pleasures in our lives, nothing but self pity. That becomes our pleasure and being used by someone else feeds that feeling of worthlessness and despair. And it feels so fucking good too, doesn’t it?”  
  
“You accuse me of thinking too much during sex.”  
  
“You think too much period. You’re the one who asked why I like being fucked.”  
  
Kakashi turned onto his side. He could see his lover’s face in the dim light that they left on to decrease the strain on their Sharingan’s being in pure darkness when they woke up especially with Sasuke’s constant fatigue. “That was weeks ago. You’ve been thinking about it all this time?” Kakashi laughed. Sasuke pouted and Kakashi was reminded of him doing the same thing several years ago. He laughed again. “You haven’t really changed at all. I’ve been grieving for the boy you once were all this time, but I realize that you’re still the same. When were you happy? When were you not consumed with revenge? When weren’t you a misanthropic, smirking, arrogant pain in the ass? You haven’t changed, you just grew up.”  
  
Sasuke thought about that, surprisingly not taking any offense. “Maybe you’re right. Except I don’t want to try anymore. I tried to have friends and live a normal life with you all in Konoha. I’ve given up.”  
  
“So have I. I prefer it here.”  
  
Sasuke was silent for a while. “I’m going to sleep, do the same; I’m transporting you to the Land of Rivers as soon as I wake up.” Sasuke pulled the blanket out from under him and curled up underneath. Kakashi smiled at him before joining him.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke’s month was inaccurate; the month passed and Sasuke was still busy. Two months. He was looking beleaguered when Kakashi came back from a another stint, a straight two weeks of doing other people’s work. Actually, Kakashi didn’t see him for two days after he came home. He forced himself to sleep light as he would on a mission, but Sasuke didn’t show up. The fortress kitchen was stocked, though it was apparent Sasuke had been coming here for food once in a while. Kakashi was tempted to use the seal despite Sasuke’s warnings only to use it in an emergency.  
  
Finally, Sasuke dragged in looking like a corpse. Kakashi got up and pulled Sasuke into bed. Sasuke was out in moments, but not before grabbing onto Kakashi. Whatever Sasuke had been doing had finally sapped all his strength and energy.  
  
Kakashi didn’t leave his side for a full day as Sasuke slept harder than Kakashi had observed before. He was as cranky as ever when he finally woke up. He just sat up and squinted in the near dark. Kakashi didn’t wake up until Sasuke flung the blanket off his body and went into the bathroom. Kakashi turned over to get a few more minutes while Sasuke was at his grumpiest.  
  
He got up a little while later and found Sasuke soaking in the ofuro.  
  
“You still look dead,” Kakashi said.  
  
“I finished. Just need to move things. Naruto can attack whenever he likes now.”  
  
“Are you sure he’ll attack? He said he still wanted to save you when I spoke to him.”  
  
“He has no choice. Even if he doesn’t, I’ll make sure he will; it’s essential to my plan.”  
  
“You won’t kill him, will you?”  
  
“That depends on him.”  
  
The day Sasuke answered all his questions . . . Sasuke will declare his undying love for him before that happens.  
  
Kakashi took a shower. Sasuke was still soaking when he finished.  
  
Still wet, Kakashi crouched behind Sasuke and ruffled the damp black hair. “What now?”  
  
Sasuke blindly put a hand against Kakashi’s face over his shoulder. “We wait.” Sasuke’s hand felt good on his bare cheek. He gently grabbed Sasuke’s wrist and held it still so he could kiss his palm.  
  
“Naruto has several more weeks, if not months, to recover,” Kakashi said.  
  
“I’ll come out with you. Kurohoshi will let me know when Naruto is well enough to consider attacking. I’ve been cooped up too long without fighting.”  
  
“You did a fine job of fighting me and those other two.” Sasuke’s hand grew heavy as he let it drop, but Kakashi held it. “I’d love to fight alongside you again.” He kissed Sasuke’s hair.  
  
“Join me.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Water’s still hot.”  
  
“There’s too much water.”  
  
“That’s why there’s a drain in the floor.”  
  
It was a large, luxurious ofuro. Kakashi was still undressed so he slipped into the water and Sasuke nuzzled up next to him. The water was still hot and felt wonderful.  
  
“Maybe we can go to a hot spring,” Kakashi said. “There are plenty in the smaller nations.”  
  
“Hn.” Kakashi took that as a yes.  
  
\-----  
  
That night Sasuke decided he wanted to make up for the two weeks of separation. During the ‘day’ Sasuke ate like a horse and lounged around. It was just like old times as Kakashi saw him before he was brought here permanently. Whatever Sasuke had been doing was obviously taxing on the normally active Uchiha to lower him to this level of sloth.  
  
Now he just wanted sex. After the full day of rest and food, Sasuke got a little of his fire back. Only now did the absurdity of having his taller, older sensei sprawled underneath him as he fucked him occur to Sasuke.  
  
It had been a while since Sasuke took the lead, but he’d lost none of his skill. He wasn’t interested in anything but getting off; no kissing, no caresses, just fucking Kakashi. They were nearly face to face.  
  
Sasuke started talking while he thrusts into Kakashi’s body, showing where his mind was. “Hate them. Hate them.”  
  
“I do,” Kakashi sighed, not having to ask to whom Sasuke was referring.  
  
Sasuke let out a pleased growl. “This is almost as good as revenge itself.”  
  
What worried Kakashi about that statement was that Sasuke got an orgasmic high from revenge. “I’d rather you just keep fucking me that get anymore revenge.”  
  
Sasuke smirked and looked down at him. “Not yet. A little more time.”  
  
Kakashi couldn’t argue or ask once again what he was planning because Sasuke stepped up his attack on his body. His eyes rolled back as his prostate was bombarded. His mind went blank. It _had_ been while. Then he felt hot breath on this neck then lips and finally teeth latching onto his neck. The jolt of pain and the sudden release of endorphins made his spine tingle. Without conscious thought, his hand came up to hold Sasuke there by the back of his neck. Sasuke bit harder and sucked at the skin between his jaws.  
  
The force of the bite was putting pressure on Kakashi’s blood vessels; he started to feel lightheaded. As he was getting closer to passing out—and doing nothing whatsoever to stop Sasuke—his grip on Sasuke’s neck slackened and Sasuke knew to stop. He pulled away and to Kakashi it felt like his skin clung to his teeth for a moment. Sasuke kissed him and Kakashi could discern the metallic taste of his own blood against Sasuke’s natural spice.  
  
To reach the taller man’s neck, Sasuke had pretty much curled up Kakashi’s body; now he eased back a bit and braced his forearms on the bed and used that as leverage to fuck him good and hard with quick thrusts and slow withdrawals.  
  
Kakashi didn’t even think of holding back. For whatever reason—the time since Sasuke had topped, the two weeks since they had sex at all, or maybe it was just that good—Kakashi just wanted to cum and cum hard. Sasuke also was of no mind to wait. As soon as Kakashi’s body clamped down around him, Sasuke gave a final thrust and released inside him. Sasuke sank down on Kakashi’s body, laying his head on Kakashi’s chest. Kakashi brought both hands to Sasuke’s hair, one lay on in his hair and the other petted and finger combed the duckbutt.  
  
“I won’t be satisfied with that,” Sasuke mumbled.  
  
“Fuck, I could be.”  
  
Kakashi felt Sasuke’s mouth open to say something else, but he remained silent.  
  
It took a few minutes for them to regain their breaths and their bodies to recover. Kakashi loved this, laying here with Sasuke laying on top of him while they both relished the afterglow.  
  
Sasuke finally pulled himself up. “Turn over,” he said. Even tired and post-orgasmic, Sasuke’s even tone sounded commanding. Kakashi obeyed, Sasuke slipping off his body as he moved.  
  
Once on his knees, Kakashi laid his face down in the pillow, still content to enjoy the post-coital bliss. Kakashi had spread his knees apart so his body was closer to the mattress. Sasuke moved over him and started tracing the six thin white lines on Kakashi’s back that he’d given him. He gently raked his fingernails over them and remembered that night clearly. The scars reminded him that he owned Kakashi and that gave him a thrill of power and lust.  
  
Kakashi was also reminded of that night. How far they had come since then. Sasuke had been crueler, but Kakashi considered that the low point.  
  
Sasuke bent over him and licked at the scars and ran his lips over them. The scars themselves had no feeling, but the skin around them did. His mouth and even his breath on his back felt good.  
  
That feeling of power reenergized Sasuke. He fingered Kakashi again, just feeling his hot slick insides and lightly nipped at his ass cheek. The massage of his anal ring was almost as effective as forcibly stretching. Sasuke replaced his fingers with his cock, sliding it smoothly all the way in. He then slid his fingers in Kakashi’s hair to grab a good handful of hair to gently pull him back like a bow being strung. Sasuke leaned forward so his cheek was pressed beside Kakashi’s borrowed eye. Sasuke used his teeth to grabbed the strap of the eye patch and pull it up; it slid from the other side of Kakashi’s head and ended up somewhere in his hair. Sasuke kissed the skin between his eye and hair and then licked at the scared eyelid. Unlike the first time, Kakashi didn’t try to shy away; he let Sasuke do as he pleased.  
  
Sasuke licked and nipped at the top of his ear then down the edge to suck at his earlobe. His mouth descended to Kakashi’s neck, scraping his teeth over the skin and then licking at it. He let go of Kakashi’s hair and Kakashi’s spine straightened a little, but he held himself up to remain close to Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke gave a few shallow thrusts and then stopped again, leaning forward to hold his body against Kakashi’s. Sasuke used his weight to press Kakashi down so that their backs were horizontal.  
  
“Tell me what you want,” Sasuke ordered.  
  
“You, anything you want to do.”  
  
“Even open up your back again and lap at your blood?”  
  
“Yes, anything.”  
  
“Tell me you me to fuck you.”  
  
“I do. Please fuck me, Sasuke.”  
  
Sasuke didn’t, but he brought his clean fingers to Kakashi’s lips. Kakashi opened them, but Sasuke just caressed his sensitive lips. It wasn’t so much arousing as it just felt good. After a minute, Kakashi captured a finger gently between his lips and sucked on it. Sasuke pressed a second against his lips which he opened for it. He sucked them in deep and played his tongue over and around them. Sasuke started rock his hips into Kakashi’s body as he sucked his fingers.  
  
It was actually Sasuke who couldn’t take anymore. He pulled his fingers away to grab Kakashi’s side and started to fuck him hard. Kakashi muttered his lover’s name and he pushed back into Sasuke’s thrusts.  
  
“Come on, sensei, beg for it. You know you love it.”  
  
“Fuck me harder, Sasuke, please. Cum inside me.”  
  
That sent a surge of pleasure through Sasuke; he finally heard the words he desired so many months ago. But he fought his orgasm, wanting to feel Kakashi blow first. He reached down to feel Kakashi’s erection. He gripped the solid piece of flesh just to feel its hardness. He slowly started jacking him.  
  
“Cum for me, show me how much you love being fucked by me.”  
  
That hand and that voice was all he needed. With another thrust to his prostate it felt like his cum could have hit the ceiling if he were on his back. Sasuke let himself go just after Kakashi.  
  
Kakashi moved forcing Sasuke to disengage as Kakashi rolled onto his back. He pulled Sasuke to him and kissed him.  
  
“I’m yours forever, Sasuke,” he whispered. They looked at each other throw slitted eyes.  
  
“Of course you are,” Sasuke said. But Sasuke was the one who curled up next to his lover as he fell asleep.  
  
\-----  
  
Meanwhile in Konoha, Naruto was as much focused on what Sasuke had done as he was on retraining his body.  
  
It was raining when Sasuke arrived on the battlefield. Madara was facing off with Naruto, Bee, Kakashi, and Gai. Of course his former teammates froze when Sasuke appeared at Madara’s side.  
  
“Madara, you’re worse than Orochimaru,” Sasuke said. “You’ve neglected my training.”  
  
“You don’t need it to defeat them,” Madara said, wanting to get on with it and capture the eight and nine tails right now then go and recapture the bijuu Naruto had released.  
  
Sasuke turned his back on Madara’s opponents and began walking away.  
  
“What are you doing?” Madara demanded.  
  
“If you do not teach me what the Eternal Mangekyo can do, then I’m finished with you.”  
  
Madara growled and transported them both away. It only took an hour for Madara to train Sasuke with his Sharingan, but by the time they returned, the situation was much worse. The two Jinchuriki and two Jounin were now backed up by thousands of shinobi.  
  
Madara was unreadable under his mask, but Sasuke smirked. Sasuke drew his sword which seemed like a ridiculous gesture when faced with odds like these. But he turned and murdered Madara, blindsiding him with his sword glowing with chakra. Madara fell dead to the ground. Sasuke used the tip of his sword to remove his mask and stabbed both his eyes to prevent anyone from taking them.  
  
The shared sigh of relief from the thousands of shinobi was audible and should have sent a breeze in Sasuke’s direction. Naruto was on the point of running up to his friend, but Susanoo grew up around Sasuke. The aura coming off of him was so cold and dark the scant sunlight coming through the rainclouds seemed to flee the battlefield.  
  
Susanoo began firing arrows at the army facing him then Sasuke followed up with countless lethal jutsu, charging into the shinobi ranks as untouchable as death itself.  
  
Naruto and Bee’s chakra was too depleted and many other shinobi were also too tired or injured to even think about attacking. You either ran or you died. By the time Sasuke ran out of chakra, there was nothing on the battlefield but him and corpses.  
  
Sasuke used Madara’s time/space jutsu to find Suigetsu and Juugo to guard him while he slept and replenished his chakra. The Shinobi Army fell back to rest, heal, and regroup, but several scouts fell to Sasuke’s guards that night.  
  
Of course Naruto wanted to fight Sasuke alone.  
  
The next morning, Naruto, backed by Killer Bee, Kakashi, and Sakura came back to the battlefield with the rest of the army waiting at a distance. All the Kage were there as well, waiting in the wings in case Naruto needed them.  
  
The fight was short. Once Sasuke made eye contact, Naruto fell. Killer Bee was not far behind. Naruto was unconscious after that. Yamato had to tell him the rest, thought it wasn’t from first hand experience.  
  
Seeing Naruto fall, Tsunade stepped up to attack. Sasuke dealt with her with glee. He threw her body down the slight hill they fought on. Shizune screamed and lunged toward Sasuke, but Kakashi grabbed her hauled her back. Then Sasuke killed Onoki and A who had nearly killed him at the Kage conference with as much pleasure. Three Kage in one day: so many were frightened and/or disheartened that they fled. Sasuke dealt with any who tried to attack him and he killed some of those who ran. Suigetsu was there as well, killing as he saw fit.  
  
On the third day, Kakashi was leading one of the last units against Sasuke. Sasuke could not regenerate chakra quickly enough to continue using his high level jutsu over three days and he was using far more taijutsu and lower level ninjutsu at this point. Kakashi and his men had hoped Sasuke would slow down or lose enough power for them to kill.  
  
Half of Kakashi’s unit was dead, many of the survivors were running. Kakashi also lost heart; he let his exhaustion take him down after only being able to land one hit, a kick that Sasuke blocked with his arms before getting in his own kick that pushed Kakashi away so that Sasuke could deal with other attackers. It was over. Sasuke killed the last of those who didn’t run and found only Kakashi still alive and not a half mile away, but he wasn’t fighting, just sitting there on his knees. Sasuke walked up with his sword lowered.  
  
“Not going to fight me?” Sasuke asked.  
  
“I surrender, Sasuke.”  
  
A few had begged Sasuke to spare them, a few had tried to surrender, but Sasuke had killed them all. Staring down at his former sensei, Sasuke couldn’t do it.  
  
Sasuke had already put Naruto and Bee in cells he’d found in Madara’s fortress with chakra suppressing bars; he transported Kakashi to one of those. After that he found it harder to just slaughter those who surrendered. He even ordered bloodthirsty Suigetsu to spare any who surrendered, but left it to his own discretion.  
  
Finally, the battlefield was empty; no one dared stand against Sasuke. He struck deals with the remaining Kage and began dealing with the prisoners. He was incredibly bored but enjoyed making the Konoha shinobi bow before him, especially his former sensei. He eventually sent his captives home.  
  
But that wasn’t all.  
  
Sasuke arrived in Konoha a day after he released his captives, arriving before them. Many raised weapons, but they hesitated to attack; survivors had returned to tell them of the slaughter the Uchiha had wrought among them.  
  
“Bring me the elders Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu,” Sasuke ordered the people who had been caught off guard by his arrival in the middle of the village. No one moved. “The Will of Fire, eh? Even if it means dying, not one of you will sell out a comrade. How noble. And so untrue. This village, its elders, condemned one of its own clans to death. Itachi was ordered as member of ANBU to wipe out his own family. Do you still believe in the honor of Konoha, in the Will of Fire? The wrath I held for Itachi I now hold for this village and it’s increased a thousand fold. Hand over Mitokado and Utatane and I’ll spare the rest of you.”  
  
Still no one moved. Some were shocked to hear the truth about the Uchiha, but many couldn’t believe it. Finally, Mitokado and Utatane came out on their own.  
  
“Confirm it, tell the truth and I’ll spare your rotten village,” Sasuke said to them. They complied, adding the reason they wanted the Uchiha clan destroyed and the reason the Uchiha wanted to rebel as well. The full story was now out in the open.  
  
Sasuke looked pacified, but they knew he wouldn’t be content with that. “Get on your knees.” Mitokado and Utatane did so, knowing why. Sasuke cut their heads off with one swing of his katana.  
  
Their heads were found later, discarded in the forest. Sasuke didn’t need trophies.  
  
Then Naruto was told about Kakashi’s time as Hokage, how brutal Sasuke was with him, but also how prosperous Kakashi had made the village. Then Sasuke replaced him and took him away and the old fears about Kakashi’s loyalty came back.  
  
“Sasuke was always Kakashi-sensei’s favorite,” Naruto said when Yamato was finished telling him everything. “But he wanted to kill him before I had really resigned myself to it. Kakashi wouldn’t choose Sasuke over Konoha.”  
  
“They’re far too close,” Yamato said sadly. “Kakashi was able to grab Sasuke without Sasuke reacting, like he knew Kakashi was no threat. Kakashi said that Sasuke would have attacked him if he had any killing intent, but we all know a shinobi of Kakashi’s caliber can suppress that aura. Kakashi can kill Sasuke whenever he wishes, but he chooses not to. Kakashi was a friend, but I can’t trust him anymore. I don’t think Pakkun does either.”  
  
“Pakkun?”  
  
“I spoke to Pakkun after that incident with the graffiti on Itachi’s monument; he was trying to remain loyal to Kakashi, holding something back, but the way he spoke . . . Like he was disappointed. I know how painful it will be, but you can’t trust Kakashi anymore.  
  
“But before Sasuke took him away, Kakashi did say that he believed Sasuke feared you. Once you’re well enough, I think you should lead a team to that fortress and fight Sasuke again. With Sasuke gone, I think we could trust Kakashi again and bring him home.”  
  
“Sakura’s in love with him, isn’t she?”  
  
Yamato didn’t want to tell Naruto about that, but he’d figured it out by Sakura’s behavior whenever Kakashi was mentioned. “Yes. They became lovers after they came home from Sasuke’s prison. Sakura’s not lost to you though, if Kakashi can’t be trusted, he can’t come home.”  
  
That didn’t make Naruto feel any better. There was also the unspoken possibility that Kakashi might need to be killed to get to Sasuke. He’d been standing and acting as a bodyguard in that cherry orchard.  
  
The world had turned upside down while Naruto was asleep. For the first time, he thought he truly understood why Jiraiya and Tsunade had left the village to wonder.  
  
\-----  
  
They didn’t go to a hot spring. Rather they found themselves sleeping in a forest clearing on the bedrolls Kakashi hated so much. As much as he hated them, he loved sleeping under the stars.  
  
Sasuke had summoned one of his cats to patrol and put out the fire on such a warm night. Kakashi could hear the small black cat jumping around in the trees being a normal nocturnal cat. He had confidence in these cats however; she would alert them to danger even while she was pouncing after crickets.  
  
Sasuke fell asleep easily after a day of killing off a group of rouges who were terrorizing a small village a few miles outside of Ame. Sasuke could have transported them home, but he decided to carry out the entire mission like it was old times: bathing in a river and camping out in the forest.  
  
Sasuke was finally getting back to himself—though Kakashi wondered if that was a good thing. However, he had developed more of an urge to show off. He always wanted to show up Naruto, but now he liked to add more unnecessary flourishes with his sword. He was enjoying himself. Or showing off to his lover.  
  
Kakashi was just drifting off when Sasuke stood up. Kakashi didn’t think anything of it assuming nature was calling and he shut his eyes again and felt sleep tugging at him.  
  
But Sasuke fell to his knees next to him and fell forward to use Kakashi’s chest as a pillow. It was so hard to remember that this was the most feared and despised man in the shinobi world. Kakashi gave his hair a kiss.  
  
Kakashi did adore Sasuke, but he feared what would happen now that Sasuke had finished his work. The entire world might come crashing down as soon Naruto came for them. He would stay by Sasuke nevertheless.  
  
\-----  
  
“Naruto, I want you to kill Sasuke.” Naruto was a little surprised. Sakura had just appeared in his open kitchen window and announced her demand as Naruto was moving a spoon of instant ramen to him mouth. She slipped into his apartment and the whole situation reminded Naruto of Kakashi.  
  
He put his spoon back into the disposable cup. “I’ve spoken with Yamato about what happened after Sasuke knocked me out. It seems like I won’t have a choice. But I really don’t want to kill him, Sakura-chan.”  
  
“You have to. There is nothing left of the boy we knew. That’s not your old friend and rival, that’s . . . it’s a stranger wearing Sasuke’s face. Was there anything familiar about him the last few times you met? There’s nothing left of the person I loved except the face. And even then . . . I just want the bastard dead.” There was sadness and venom mixed in her voice. “After what he put us all through, what he’s putting Kakashi through . . . I know he’s being cruel to him; he was all this time. To save Kakashi, you have to kill Sasuke.”  
  
Naruto thought about that and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to save Kakashi; Kakashi was a stranger to him now too. So was Sakura. She had grown up, become a fully fledged adult, she’d been all but married. She was a woman now. And she no longer cared about Sasuke at all? Why did everyone and everything have to change on him like this? Maybe if he could see Sasuke once more. Maybe there was something, some hope . . . But what then? He could never come home, not to Konoha or any of the villages. Death was probably the best option. If there was some conscience left in Sasuke, he must be in pain and nothing would ever erase the guilt. Like Itachi. Sasuke was better off dead and at peace.  
  
But he wasn’t sure he wanted Kakashi to come back. Sure, there was a little jealousy, but it was really that he felt like he didn’t know the man anymore and couldn’t trust him. He asked the same question everyone else did: whose side was Kakashi really on? His village or his favorite student?  
  
Kakashi had only let his grief over Sasuke show twice in front of Naruto. Not long before Naruto left with Jiraiya, while he was still in the hospital after his fight with Sasuke, Kakashi had come into his hospital room—via the window of course. He was normal at first, asking how Naruto was doing, but as they spoke, Naruto see his posture looked defeated and his one eye was so sad.  
  
“What did Sasuke say?” he asked.  
  
“He said a lot, but all he wants is revenge. He said he was wasting his time here and that Orochimaru will give him the power he needs to kill his brother and that’s all he wants. He said I couldn’t understand because I never had parents or siblings or any family, so I couldn’t understand what it felt like to lose them. But losing Sasuke must feel like that, right? I told him being around him is what I imagine having a brother is like. I told him Orochimaru just wanted his body as a vessel so he could be immortal, but Sasuke said he didn’t care, that he would give his body willingly if he could kill his brother. I couldn’t stop him. Sasuke wouldn’t listen. But he did say, that he had to kill his best friend in order to gain some sort of power to fight his brother. He said I was his best friend. That hurt even more. But he didn’t kill me.”  
  
Kakashi’s eye seemed to look deep within. He looked even more defeated. Naruto knew Sasuke was his favorite. Even if it was because Sasuke had lightning nature—something which Naruto still didn’t understand at the time—Kakashi had only taken Sasuke under his wing, left Naruto to Ebisu and eventually Jiraiya. That had hurt.  
  
“Jiraiya told me he’ll be taking you with him as soon as you’re healed. Sakura has asked to study under Tsunade to become a medical-nin.” Maybe that’s why Kakashi looked so sad; he didn’t just lose Sasuke, he was losing his entire team. “You’ll all be trained by the Sanin. I’m proud of your progress Naruto, more than Sakura and Sasuke’s. You’ll become a great shinobi one day.”  
  
And he left. Naruto didn’t see him again for three years.  
  
It was while Kakashi and Yamato were training him in wind natured chakra that Kakashi left his grief show again. Yamato was off getting some supplies since they were staying out on this training ground all the time now so Naruto could develop fast enough to catch up with Sasuke.  
  
For once, Kakashi laid his Ich-Ich book aside and was just staring at the sky in the direction of Orochimaru’s last lair.  
  
“Was there nothing familiar about Sasuke when you saw him?” Kakashi asked out of the blue.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“When you saw Sasuke, did he not show any emotion at seeing you?”  
  
“Not really. I almost felt like he didn’t recognize us, but he did, he said our names. He asked if you were there, but Yamato said you weren’t.”  
  
“How did he react?”  
  
“He didn’t.”  
  
Kakashi’s body sagged.  
  
“I think he was a little surprised that you weren’t there,” Naruto added.  
  
“Do you think he really would have killed you?”  
  
“Yeah. He tried to kill all of us. I think he really would have if Orochimaru hadn’t stopped him. Orochimaru believed he would have.”  
  
“Did he use Chidori against you?”  
  
“Not the one he used before. His whole body was covered in it. It wasn’t just a lightning jutsu, it chirped like yours. It blew us all away and electrocuted us. His sword had it too. He used it to break out of Yamato’s wood prison.”  
  
Kakashi’s head sunk to his chest. “I’ve only really failed three times in my life. I couldn’t save my two best friends and I could save Sasuke. I should never have taught him the Chidori. I thought that would be power enough to make him stay. I was wrong. I was still a child when they died, but even though I’m wiser now, I still lost Sasuke.”  
  
Naruto thought Kakashi looked more depressed than he or Sakura ever did at losing Sasuke. Naruto had been a little jealous then too. Why couldn’t Sasuke realize how much he meant to them? He was loved here. He had a best friend, a girlfriend, and a father figure here waiting for him. Why was Itachi so much more important? Even after Jiraiya died, Naruto couldn’t fully understand the intensity of Sasuke’s vindictiveness. Now he knew it was because he never loved Pein the way Sasuke loved Itachi. It was that love that fed his rage. And, in the end, Sasuke was unwilling to replace his family.  
  
Kakashi always loved Sasuke more than Naruto and Sakura, Naruto knew that. Right now, that made him distrust Kakashi. Naruto wondered what he himself would do to have Sasuke back. Would he betray the village if it meant being by his side again? He couldn’t answer that, he really couldn’t. If he could be with Sasuke again like things had never changed, he might sacrifice anything. Had Kakashi decided that too?  
  
Naruto nodded to Sakura. Yes, he would kill Sasuke, but he didn’t particularly want to save Kakashi. Kakashi would probably try to protect Sasuke. But what if he was wrong, what if Kakashi really was a prisoner? Okay, maybe he was more jealous than he thought; he didn’t want Kakashi to come home to Sakura. But if Kakashi didn’t try to defend Sasuke, he would bring him home. The code of Konoha and all that.  
  
Sakura jolted him out of his thoughts. “I want to go with you.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“When you go to kill Sasuke, I want to come with you. As much as it may hurt, I want to see him dead, I have to see it. There’s still part of me that loves him and need that closure. You have to kill him; you’re the only one capable of it. Kakashi’s tried, the Kage have tried, only you could do it and I have to be there.”  
  
There was no persuading her; she wasn’t a thirteen year old girl without any specific skills who could be left while the boys went after Sasuke anymore. “If Yamato says it’s okay.”  
  
“Thank you. You won’t try to save him, will you?”  
  
“He can’t be saved after what he’s done,” Naruto repeated the refrain. “I still have some retraining to do and I need to work with Kurama a bit more then we’ll go after Sasuke and bring Kakashi home.”  
  
\-----  
  
The paper bombs and scrolls were placed. Sasuke crouched in an ally chewing on a large soldier pill. He’d been here for the last hour waiting for the cats to finish placing their share. They were finally finished. He raised one hand in front of his face to make the hand sign, but his right hand came up more slowly and stopped half way. He’d been crouching there watching the people of Konoha go about their afternoon. Not all of them were shinobi. They were happy. Or at least they were going about their lives more happily than Sasuke did. He couldn’t do it.  
  
He needed a walk. Sasuke transformed and just wondered aimlessly, battling the conflicting feelings in his chest. He rarely came to Konoha and didn’t know the layout very well beside the restaurant district. He found himself at the edge of the village and the graveyard and the memorial stone. He walked up to the stone and absently started reading the names there. Few he recognized, but there were Hokage and other famous names. Alone, he let the transformation drop.  
  
He came to Obito’s name. _Uchiha Obito – Yondamie Namikaze Minato_ and little later, _Rin_. Kakashi’s team. It suddenly hit him that this was his home. It wasn’t so much the Uchiha name being on the stone—Obito’s wasn’t the first—but the names of Kakashi’s team. What was he doing? He shook himself out of that thought. _Itachi, mother, father, auntie . . ._ That was what he was doing.  
  
Sasuke continued to read. He came to the end. _The Uchiha Clan - Uchiha Itachi_ Sasuke just stared for a while. He reached out and touched the letters, running his fingers along the length of the two inscriptions. He felt something on his cheek and raised a hand to swat at an insect, but he paused when he felt moisture there. Sasuke sank to his knees and leaned his head against his brother’s name, feeling the inscription press into his skin, marking his forehead. He wouldn’t let himself audibly sob, but he knelt there and cried.  
  
He transformed again and walked back into the village. He was walking among the shops and noticed an older woman sweeping in front of her store. It was déjà vu. He remembered that fateful day walking to school and meeting his aunt—really a cousin—sweeping in front of her store in the Uchiha district.  
  
What he was about to do was the same that Itachi did, just on a larger scale. Who would he miss or not be able to bring himself to kill, how many more versions of himself would he create? That was what he wanted, wasn’t it? To make these people feel the pain he felt? It suddenly just didn’t seem worth it. These people really didn’t matter. Sure they had their happiness at the expense of his own, of his brother’s, of his entire family, but they didn’t ask for it. But they knew it now. Sasuke wondered if that knowledge weighed on any of them, that the village had purchased their peace and happiness at such a price, that their happiness had led to slaughter Sasuke had wrought.  
  
He couldn’t approach the woman who reminded him of his aunt, so he turned to a male shopkeeper across the way.  
  
“Excuse me, I’ve just returned for a long mission and I’m a bit lost. What happened while I was away?”  
  
An hour later, all the explosive tags and scrolls were gone.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke returned that night looking more haggard than he did when he finished his mysterious work. Sasuke closed the door and just stared at Kakashi for a minute.  
  
Kakashi had been doing most of the domestic chores since he came here and was now putting the laundry away. He stopped when he heard Sasuke come in. He noticed his eyes seemed red.  
  
“Something wrong?” Kakashi asked.  
  
Sasuke shook his head absently and didn’t even take any clothes off before crawling into bed. Kakashi lowered the lights and got into bed too, wearing just light civilian clothes anyway. He put his arm around Sasuke and nuzzled the back of his hair with his nose.  
  
“Just let me sleep,” Sasuke said.  
  
“I will.” Kakashi tightened his arm around him and felt Sasuke drift off.


	13. Divine Retribution

Kakashi didn’t wake up when Sasuke did. Sasuke felt like shit. He no longer knew what he wanted. His soul still burned for revenge, but he’d lost the stomach to destroy Konoha. It seemed he already got his point across to the village that they should feel guilty and they did. They hated his guts, but on some level they pitied him. But he still wasn’t satisfied. All the work he’d done had not been just for that one aborted mission against Konoha, but it did feel like he’d wasted a lot of time. He still needed cathartic revenge, but he didn’t know how he wanted to execute it anymore.   
  
He stared down at Kakashi for a while. He was depressed. It was Kakashi’s fault. If he sent Kakashi away, things could go back to normal and he could wipe out the village he so loathed. It was the names of Kakashi’s teammates that had really shaken his resolve. He belatedly wondered if what stayed his hand was not that Konoha was his home, but that it was Kakashi’s. Operative word being ‘was.’ Kakashi was his now, not Konoha’s, not Sakura’s, his.  
  
Sasuke eased out of bed, took a quick shower, and got into fresh clothes. He grabbed his meditation mat and left the bedroom.  
  
Sasuke laid his mat in front of the throne and sat on the floor. He liked mediating in the throne room; this room was cavernous which helped him relax and sink deep into meditation. It wasn’t cramped like Orochimaru’s underground warrens, but it was still comfortably confined and therefore safe to someone who lived years underground. He also didn’t have a silver-haired former Hokage there to distract him.   
  
It was sometimes harder to meditate now. When he was with Orochimaru it wasn’t so hard, but he could never get as deep as he could now—probably because he was looking over his shoulder the entire time around the snake. He could go deeper now, but it was harder to meditate at all. He blamed Kakashi; the turmoil in his chest was never there before.  
  
He heard the pop of air displacement which meant one of the spheres had been summoned. When was the last time he’d checked them?  
  
Sasuke unfolded himself from the floor and checked the spheres; the green one was gone. Sasuke pouted as he thought. He wouldn’t go now and he would not send Kakashi. But maybe he should. If Konoha was under attack, he should act now—no one attacked what was his and no one destroyed what he himself wanted to destroy. He should scout out the situation first. Then again it could be a trap. He couldn’t summon Kurohoshi if he was in Konoha right now as that would raise suspicion.   
  
But would a second black cat showing up raise suspicions?  
  
Sasuke ran off to prepare.  
  
\-----  
  
Konoha was not under attack. Sasuke jumped up to the open window of the Hokage’s office in his feline form. Kurohoshi jumped up to him. He purred and nuzzled Sasuke as if he was a girlfriend. The identical cats rubbed against each other.  
  
Naruto, Sakura, Shizune, and Yamato were all there. They watched their pet stray with his ‘mate.’ Kurohoshi led Sasuke off the window sill and out to the forest where they could talk.  
  
“They’ve summoned me,” Sasuke said. “Is it an ambush? Should I show myself or send Kakashi?”  
  
“They want to speak with you about Kakashi. Don’t send Kakashi.”  
  
Sasuke rolled his cat eyes and his tail swayed. “Let’s go back; I want to listen in for a while. Think they’ll be suspicious if we both went back?”  
  
“You go, I’ll go home. They call me Koji now.” [AN: Koji (as a word, not a name) means “stray,” but can also mean “orphan”]  
  
Sasuke’s growl sounded like a purr. Well, even if they were gone or didn’t talk about he and Kakashi, he could at least lay in the sun for a while before he ran off and went home. It had been a long time since he transformed into a cat. Maybe he’d mess with Kakashi by staying a cat for a little longer.  
  
Sasuke didn’t hurry back to the Hokage tower as he was supposed to be being mated at the moment. He finally jumped up onto the window sill and saw all of them were still there.  
  
“Has it been that long?” Yamato joked seeing his pet stray return. Sasuke jumped down to the floor and curled up on the old pillow and purred a bit before feigning sleep.  
  
“Kakashi warned me that Sasuke could take days to respond,” Yamato said. Sakura nodded in agreement.   
  
“I hope he sends Kakashi,” Naruto said. Sakura looked away.  
  
“Sakura,” Yamato said, seeing her depression. “You shouldn’t see Sasuke if he comes. Go home; we’ll summon you if he sends Kakashi.”  
  
Sakura nodded dejectedly and left.  
  
“Poor girl,” Yamato said.   
  
“Let’s just give up on Kakashi,” Naruto said. “If he’s so close to Sasuke and hasn’t killed him, then he’s probably joined him.”  
  
Sasuke was surprised Naruto could be right sometimes.   
  
“I think so too,” Yamato sighed.  
  
“No, Kakashi—” Shizune stopped herself.  
  
“What?”  
  
Even Sasuke looked at her and raised his tail in curiosity.   
  
“Kakashi wouldn’t. Sasuke . . . Kakashi would never forgive Sasuke for what he did to him.” There was a good amount of venom in her voice.  
  
Yamato narrowed his eyes. “You know something we don’t?”  
  
“Sasuke—” she couldn’t say it. “Kakashi didn’t want Sakura to know. He came to me for healing to hide it from Sakura.”  
  
Sasuke didn’t want Shizune to tell them what was really going on. He wasn’t sure why he cared, but he was sure Shizune knew the truth. It was tricky, but he was able to transport the three of them and himself while shedding the transformation and sat in his throne as if he’d been there the whole time. He also grabbed the green sphere from Yamato’s desk. His three visitors were disoriented enough not to notice Sasuke’s frantic movement.   
  
“What do you want?” Sasuke asked, calm as ever as he lounged in his throne.  
  
“Sasuke?” Naruto was shocked to suddenly be in front of his old friend and rival. Sasuke looked at him with an eyebrow raised as if to say, ‘Duh, idiot.’  
  
“Sasuke.” Naruto couldn’t think of anything to say. This was the first time they’d seen each other since Sasuke put him under the genjutsu on the battlefield.   
  
“What? You summoned me, what do you want? ‘Sasuke, Sasuke,’ you sound like a child or a parrot. What do you want?”  
  
“Where’s Kakashi?”  
  
“Around. What do you want?”  
  
“What did you do to me?” Naruto finally asked.  
  
“You don’t remember? Really, I just put you to sleep; not easy with the Kyuubi in you. I wanted you out of the way so you wouldn’t bother me every other day to come home or try to attack me. If you don’t remember anything, then the other part didn’t work. Honestly, I’m quite disappointed. If you’d remember then Kakashi would have alerted me when he visited you. There would be no way you wouldn’t have alerted his keen senses and he would have nagged the hell out of me.” Sasuke couldn’t hide his amusement. “It was just an . . . illusion, to either get you to leave me alone or maybe agree with me. Obviously, it didn’t work.”  
  
“Why not kill me? This is the fourth time you didn’t kill me.”  
  
“Twice I would have if others hadn’t interfered. As for the other two . . . Do you remember what the Kyuubi said? Perhaps I fear he may be correct. So I won’t kill you yet. You didn’t just want to ask me that.”  
  
“What are you doing? What’s the point of all this?”  
  
Sasuke scoffed. “I’m sick of that question. Kakashi’s been trying to get that one out of me for years. I might cut out his tongue if he asks again. Probably use one of those fucking dogs to get that information to you if he succeeded. Is that all? That time/space jutsu does use up chakra; I resent being summoned for a chat.”  
  
“We want you to return Kakashi,” Yamato said. “You’ve humiliated him enough by making him an errand boy. It’s been long enough, send him home.”  
  
A smile grew on Sasuke’s face. “I _bought_ Kakashi; he’s mine. If you want him ‘returned,’ I want something returned to me.”  
  
“What is that?” Yamato felt dread coil in his belly.  
  
“Sakura. Kakashi pleaded with me to let her live in exchange for ‘anything.’ I chose him. She comes here of her own free will and allows herself to be killed by me—or Kakashi if I’m feeling particularly evil—and then I’ll send Kakashi home. Sakura’s life for Kakashi’s freedom. Is it worth it to you? A whipped, aging shinobi for a young, talented medical-nin? Someone who you distrust for someone you value and even claim to love?” He said the last while looking in Naruto’s eyes. “Kakashi is mine. I will use him as I please until I tire of him then I’ll abandon him. You can have him then. But as it is, I have uses for him. Honestly, Sakura’s life means nothing to me; I’d rather keep my servant than take her valueless life.”  
  
Sasuke sighed, unwillingly showing his fatigue; his sleep had been fitful at best and quite frankly, today, this was all an act; he didn’t feel confident and evil right now. “I’ve spared your village too many times and you have Kakashi to thank for most of them. As much as I’d like to stop the _nagging_ , there’s no one else I can trust to do what I need him to do. You want him back; you’ll have to kill me.” He eyed Naruto. “I wonder what that damn fox has to say about that. He warned me not to kill you; does he say the same about me? I’ll fight you, Naruto, but not now.”  
  
The two former friends locked eyes. Naruto could see the weariness but nothing else. Naruto’s eyes held a fire that Sasuke’s lacked. Sasuke felt pain that they were so different; they had almost really been friends. All that had gone to shit a long time ago. He did wish everything could have been different, but he had no desire to be friends with him now.   
  
Shizune took that moment to attack. She was like a tiger with her claws out. It was useless though, Sasuke swatted at her with the hand of Susanoo, not even raising one of his own fingers to stop her.   
  
“You bastard, you ra—” Sasuke cut her off with Chidori senbon, paralyzing her vocal cords and her legs. He recognized more than wanting to avenge her master; he’d suspected it before, but he was certain now: Shizune loved Kakashi. Sasuke wasn’t jealous though; Kakashi was with him and had already declared his love and loyalty. That thought made him smirk. He killed it before he spoke again.  
  
“Some things shouldn’t be spoken of,” Sasuke said. “Think of your precious Kakashi.”  
  
She glared at him from the floor then lowered her head. It would shame Kakashi if anyone else knew what was going on. And she realized that Sasuke knew she had feelings for Kakashi. She had to tread carefully now with the possessive Uchiha.  
  
“And maybe Kakashi doesn’t want to come back. Maybe he’s given up so much for an ungrateful village that he’d go elsewhere if I released him. Like our masters.” Sasuke was referring to himself, Naruto, and Shizune. “Maybe I’m not the only one tired of . . . everything.”  
  
Shizune tried to speak, but she couldn’t articulate. Naruto did that for her.  
  
“If he is, then you did that to him.”  
  
“Perhaps. But you feel it too, don’t you Naruto. You may have been asleep for months, years—I’m not sure how long it’s been; time has no meaning down here. But you feel tired too, don’t you? Isn’t loyalty to anything coming harder to you? Faith? Trust? As Hokage, you’ll have to deal with a devil; if not me, someone. Sakura must feel it too. How many are still so idealistic in Konoha anymore? Now everyone knows that their village turned against one of its own clans over a suspicion. A suspicion!” Sasuke’s angry and indignation suddenly flared at the thought. He knew his family was innocent and they had died for nothing. He calmed, but he was still angry. “The Uchiha and Senju were oil and water from the start. Konoha was a bad idea. Madara was right when he opposed the peace between our clans. You never trusted us.”  
  
Sasuke sighed, repressing his anger. “Kakashi stays. Come for me, Naruto, when you’re ready. Defeat me and Kakashi will be free. And so will Konoha and the rest of the Shinobi world. Until then, leave me the fuck alone.”  
  
Sasuke returned the three of them to Konoha. He felt brought down by his own words. He really had no faith left. Not even in himself. Not even in Kakashi. Kakashi could soon choose to betray him. But that was something he was willing to accept. He’d expected a kunai in the back since the first time he let himself fall asleep in Kakashi’s presence. He was still waiting for it. He’d become enamored with the idea of looking up into Kakashi’s eyes as he died by his hand. It’s how he wanted to go.  
  
\-----  
  
Shizune was able to treat herself in the Hokage’s office, trying to bring her legs and throat back in working order, refusing help to take her to the hospital. Naruto and Yamato stood by waiting, waiting to ask her what she was going to say Sasuke had done to Kakashi. She worked on her legs more than her throat.   
  
“That surprised me actually,” Yamato said. “He seems so tired. Kakashi’s revealed a little, but I didn’t expect to see him worn down. And he’s practically asking you to kill him.”  
  
“Maybe that is what he wants,” Naruto said. “Maybe he’s realized how wrong he’s been but can’t find any other way to make amends. I don’t want to kill my best friend, but he’s not going to leave me any other choice.”  
  
“Kakashi does seem to sympathize with him; he’s mentioned how tired and lonely Sasuke is. What did he mean when he said he didn’t kill you because of what the Kyuubi said?”  
  
“Kurama warned him not to kill me. He said that if Sasuke killed me, Sasuke would live to regret it.”  
  
Shizune tried her voice and it mostly worked. Naruto pounced. “What did Sasuke do?”  
  
Shizune pulled her legs under her as she sat on the floor, hesitant to speak. “He r’p’d ‘m.” Her voice wavered, but they understood what she’d whispered.  
  
“No.” Naruto couldn’t believe his friend was capable of that. He accepted everything else Sasuke had done, but not rape their sensei. “No. Sasuke couldn’t.”  
  
“Sas’ke ‘s tort’ring ‘m.”  
  
Yamato looked away. “That makes a lot of sense.” Naruto looked at him, horrified. Yamato wouldn’t meet his eyes. “His demeanor, Pakkun’s attitude recently . . . everything.”  
  
“You don’t trust Kakashi?”  
  
“No. I think Sasuke’s broken him. You heard him, he called Kakashi ‘whipped,’ said Kakashi was his. We’ll leave him for now.” Yamato felt the glare, but wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Believe me, he was a friend, I want to trust him and bring him home, but I can’t. Sasuke is our priority.” Yamato went to his room, leaving the other two in his office.  
  
“Bring ‘im ‘ome,” Shizune struggled to say to Naruto.  
  
Naruto nodded and help her up and walked her home.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke was still depressed, but he felt a little better; he really did get an obscene enjoyment from rubbing people noses in Konoha’s sins. He may come off as self-righteous at times, but it didn’t bother him; self-righteousness was his right after what he’d been through. He knew he was right; his actions weren’t completely justifiable, but he knew the truth about _noble_ Konoha.   
  
He found Kakashi in the shower. He walked right in without disrobing, turned Kakashi around, and began kissing him. Kakashi had just begun and the musk of working out still hung on him. Sasuke took his lips away to breathe in Kakashi’s scent before the water could erase it. Anyone else and Sasuke would have been disgusted, but Kakashi’s scent . . it made him feel oddly safe. He remembered it from missions when he was thirteen and when they trained together. It rivaled the smells of home and family which had begun to fade in his memory. The only scent that could comfort him more would be his brother’s.  
  
Kakashi pulled at Sasuke’s clothes, the operation being made more difficult by the fact they were soaking wet. Sasuke stopped him before he got too far.  
  
“Just suck me off,” Sasuke said.   
  
_So we’re back to commanding Sasuke,_ Kakashi thought.  
  
Kakashi got on his knees and fished through the wet fabric to find Sasuke’s cock. Once he found it, he took it into his mouth and looked up at his mostly clothed lover. He did sort of miss those dispassionate, dominating, belittling eyes. They weren’t quite back, but they were familiar.  
  
Sasuke looked down at him and remembered the first blow job he’d gotten from his sensei. Kakashi had learned a lot of technique and developed a level of zeal for it since then. Kakashi added his hand to the mix, mostly just to get off the hard floor sooner.   
  
Sasuke fisted Kakashi’s hair. He had to look away from Kakashi’s adoring eyes. Kakashi really did love him. Sasuke still felt the need to oppress him and dominate him, but it was hard when Kakashi looked at him like that.   
  
“Shower sex is totally overrated,” Sasuke said as he pulled Kakashi’s head away from his groin. “Get cleaned up and dried.”  
  
Sasuke stripped off his wet clothes and threw them in the corner to deal with later and dried himself off, vigorously toweling his hair. Kakashi finished his shower as quickly as possible and joined Sasuke on the bed. Sasuke pushed him onto his stomach and stuck two lubed fingers inside him. He got his taste for dominating back rather quickly.   
  
He loved being fucked, but this was something he could rarely do years before. There were times when he wasn’t fucking Kakashi, he was fucking and dominating Orochimaru. Sometimes when he was harshest to Kakashi, he was really dominating Orochimaru. But right now, it was Kakashi.  
  
Claiming Kakashi, telling those three that he owned him, had given him a thrill. It was sometimes hard to remember that he owned Kakashi when he was enjoying being fucked by him. Even he realized he was a controlling, possessive bastard. In reality, he controlled the shinobi world, he kept them from another war he knew was coming, he kept them on a leash, he gave them orders, could demand anything he wanted, but his most precious possession was his former sensei. It was about ownership, it was about punishment, it was about humiliation, but he also didn’t want anyone else in his bed.  
  
For a moment, Sasuke rested his cheek against Kakashi’s back and let himself enjoy being so close to him. _I’m so starved for human contact that just this feels good,_ Sasuke thought. He straightened up a bit and trailed his lips down the side of Kakashi’s back. “Tell me what you want.” His lips fluttered his skin and his breath feathered against it.  
  
“Please fuck me, Sasuke.” Sasuke never got tired of that.   
  
He moved his lips to Kakashi’s lower back, just where the valley of his ass began, and kissed it and tongued it. He could feel Kakashi tense with pleasure. Gentle short laps of his tongue and caresses with his lips made Kakashi’s skin pucker.   
  
Kakashi moaned. Sasuke’s fingers were still moving around inside him while he tried to French kiss his tail bone. “Please, Sasuke.”  
  
Sasuke couldn’t help it; hearing Kakashi sound so desperate, he had to torture him. With a final wet kiss to the end of his spine and a caress to the hollow of his hip, Sasuke took his fingers away and turned Kakashi onto his back.   
  
Sasuke kissed the skin next to the base of Kakashi’s hard cock then lightly ran his lips up his length. He went back down and moved to kiss his scrotum. He open mouthed kissed the underside. Kakashi’s head rolled in pleasure.   
  
“Sasuke,” Kakashi sighed. Now that Kakashi had given in to Sasuke and his feelings for Sasuke, he felt little shame and could sigh his lover’s name with abandon.  
  
Sasuke used both sides of his tongue on the underside of Kakashi’s cock, the rough upper and smooth underside. Sasuke pulled away and saw a pearl of precum on the tip of Kakashi’s cock. Sasuke lapped it up, sending a shiver up through Kakashi’s body.   
  
Sasuke practically dove onto that hard cock, letting it slip straight down his throat, taking it all in one go. Kakashi repeated Sasuke’s name. Sasuke sucked and bobbed his head up and down the hard length. He considered fellatio a form of dominance as powerful as a flogging.   
  
Sasuke was skilled, no doubt about it. Kakashi was ready to shoot, but Sasuke stopped, sliding his mouth off the aching organ, sliding his rough tongue against the sensitive underside, leaving it soaking wet with his saliva. Kakashi’s eye had been shut, but now he looked down at Sasuke with a pleading gray eye. Sasuke’s eyes were cold, but his swollen, red lips were twisted with amusement. Kakashi’s heart skipped a beat. He was at Sasuke’s mercy. As much as he loved and trusted Sasuke, it was still a frightening prospect. An arousing prospect.   
  
Sasuke bent over him and sucked on a nipple while he played with the other with his slick fingers. The best part for Kakashi was that his cock was rubbing against Sasuke’s hard abs. Kakashi bucked his hips up against Sasuke’s body as he teased his nipples, painting Sasuke’s stomach with precum.  
  
The fingers teasing his nipple went up to his neck and lightly teased his skin. Kakashi sighed his name again. It felt so fucking good. Sasuke knew exactly where he was the most sensitive. Kakashi grabbed the sheets is desperation.  
  
“Sasuke, please.” It was a slow plea.   
  
Sasuke pushed himself up and looked down into Kakashi’s hooded eye. The eye patch was absent, but his Sharingan was closed.   
  
Those empty eyes. They belied the way Sasuke touched him. Even though Sasuke was supposed to be the one calling the shots, Kakashi suddenly grabbed Sasuke’s head and pulled him down into a deep kiss. He loved him so much, he needed to show it more ways than just submitting to him.   
  
Sasuke got into it and moved his legs to make the kiss more comfortable. Frankly, he hated it with Orochimaru and even more with Kabuto. He really never saw the appeal of kissing, but Kakashi changed that. The sensation of Kakashi’s tongue exploring the ridges of the roof of his mouth was fantastic.   
  
Sasuke pulled away first, having to force his head out of Kakashi’s grip. There was finally some life in those black eyes.   
  
“I thought you were desperate to be fucked,” Sasuke smirked.  
  
“Nothing was stopping you from doing it during the kiss.”  
  
Sasuke huffed and attacked Kakashi’s neck, biting and sucking with a vengeance. Remembering earlier, he went about marking his lover with zeal. He sort of wished there was someone to see it; he wanted to show off that sign of ownership with pride. He owned his sensei, he owned a former Hokage, he owned one of the deadliest shinobi in history. He was getting more aroused.  
  
Kakashi groaned beneath him and tried to press his cock against Sasuke’s body, but Sasuke was pushing Kakashi down and keeping his own hips up. Sasuke switched to sucking on his earlobe and succeeded in turning Kakashi on even more by panting right into Kakashi’s ear.   
  
“Fuck, Sasuke, please,” Kakashi sighed. He was back to begging.  
  
Sasuke was in a bad way himself and decided to have mercy on his long suffering lover. With a final toothy pull at Kakashi’s earlobe, Sasuke sat back and motioned for Kakashi to get back on his knees.  
  
Even after the loving kiss, Sasuke didn’t abandon his intentions of dominating and slightly humiliating Kakashi. He spread Kakashi’s cheeks and spit on Kakashi’s waiting entrance—unnecessary since he already fingered him with lubed fingers. With a pointed tongue, Sasuke moved the saliva around over his hole. He tongued the exterior until it was opening, silently begging to be filled.   
  
“Ever think there would be a day I would actually be kissing your ass?” Sasuke mused before planting a kiss on the puckered ring.  
  
That question didn’t need an answer so Kakashi just lowered his blushing face to the pillow.  
  
Kakashi’s knees were already spread wide to lower his body for Sasuke, knowing that despite Sasuke’s long thighs, he was still too short to fuck him if his knees were directly under him. Sasuke came up and pressed his aching erection into Kakashi’s body.  
  
Hot, hard flesh spreading his body open always felt great. Well, after the first few times. But he was so ready for it right now that it couldn’t hurt. He felt full and complete when Sasuke bottomed out. He groaned out Sasuke’s name. He pressed back against him. He wanted Sasuke deep inside him. He didn’t just want the pleasure, he wanted Sasuke close. He wanted Sasuke to lay his weight on top of him and wrap his arms around him. He wanted Sasuke. He was actually aching for Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke held his hips and thrust into him leisurely. He was in pain from denied release, but he wanted to drag this out a little longer. Kakashi pushed his back up, inviting Sasuke to touch him. Sasuke dragged a hand down it and Kakashi looked like a stroked cat, trying to press up into his touch. The need peeling off him softened Sasuke. He stroked Kakashi’s back again. He then leaned down to lay on him. He went from thrusting his hips to rolling them. He pressed his hands to Kakashi’s sternum and abdomen. He rubbed his cheek against his back.   
  
“Tell me that I own you,” Sasuke muttered.  
  
“I belong only to you, Sasuke.”  
  
“Tell me again.”  
  
“I’m yours. Only yours. I’ll stay with you forever.”  
  
Sasuke stilled. “No you won’t,” Sasuke whispered. “When I give you the option, you’ll leave.”  
  
“Never. My body, my soul, my love, and my loyalty are all yours. I’ll never leave. I’m yours. You own me.”   
  
“Hmmm.” Sasuke went back to rolling his hips. He mentally shook off his misgivings. He would believe Kakashi; there was no reason not to since he was resolved to keep exposing his back to Kakashi until Kakashi finally took the shot. As long as it was a quick death; Kakashi would give him that at least. Either that or he would just leave. Leave him to be utterly alone again.   
  
With that Sasuke admitted how much he needed this, how much he needed Kakashi. He admitted to himself just how lonely he always was. If Itachi just hadn’t abandoned him.  
  
Sasuke peeled himself away and went back to fucking Kakashi properly. Kakashi let the pleasure wipe the conversation out of his mind for the time being.  
  
Sasuke continued to rock into Kakashi’s body, striking his prostate with purpose. Hearing Kakashi moan and grunt in response to his movements was a wonderful thing. Kakashi had been so close before Sasuke entered him, that it didn’t take five minutes before he had a powerful orgasm accompanied by a strangled cry of pleasure and relief.  
  
Sasuke was half a dozen thrusts behind him. He held onto his voice as he unloaded into Kakashi’s spent body, only letting out a low groan. He fell forward and grabbed Kakashi’s shoulders, pulling himself deeper inside him, his hips jerking a little as he released several ropes into him. He paused a moment still inside Kakashi before he let himself fall next to him and Kakashi laid himself out more comfortably on his stomach.   
  
“Why do you think I’ll leave you?” Kakashi asked once he recovered his breath.  
  
“You never wanted to be here.”  
  
“I do now. I love you.”  
  
Sasuke’s lips parted, but he didn’t say anything. The moment his lips opened, Kakashi’s heart felt like it beat three times as hard as normal; he was certain Sasuke was finally going to confess that he loved him back, but no words came out. Kakashi was so certain Sasuke loved him, but he needed to hear it; he feared he never would. Was Sasuke right? Would he get sick of never hearing it even if he knew it and finally leave once given the option? Maybe. But he had absolutely no where else to go.  
  
“I’m staying until you kick me out and then you’ll have to do more than just order me to leave.” Kakashi took a deep breath. “We had visitors. Even among these walls, I could sense that chakra, very powerful. I’m guessing it was several visitors.”  
  
“You knew I brought people here and yet you stayed away.”  
  
“I know better.”  
  
“Even if they were here to rescue you?”  
  
“Is that what you’re on about? Someone from Konoha was here and wanted me back and you think I’d go?”  
  
“They brought it to mind.”  
  
Kakashi laughed and turned onto his back. “I don’t know how much clearer I could be. I have no intention of leaving you. I don’t want to go back to Konoha. I wasn’t happy there since the war—”  
  
“You aren’t _happy_ here.”  
  
“Too bored. I’m glad you’re sending me out on missions, but other than that, reading, spending time with my ninken, working out, sparring with you, and sex with you, I have nothing to do. And the chores. A bit dull, but better than that office.”  
  
“I thought you had lots of hobbies.”  
  
Kakashi huffed. “I lied. You were thirteen and I had no interest of developing much of a connection with any of you. Reading and training my ninken are my only hobbies.”  
  
“What the hell do you find so enthralling about those damn novels?”  
  
“Have you read them?”  
  
“I don’t read fiction.”  
  
“It’s diverting. Minato-sensei recommended I read Jiraiya’s work, his first novel, _Tale of the Gutsy Ninja_. Minato loved the main character so much that he told me he was naming his child after him if it was a boy. Naruto. I actually enjoyed it, so I read his other works and enjoyed them more. I was a hormonal fourteen year old boy. And before you came back, I was perfectly straight.”  
  
Sasuke smiled with mirth. “Now I have you begging for it.”  
  
“Hmmm,” Kakashi agreed.   
  
“Wondering in the woods, training, developing new jutsu, and mediation are my hobbies.”  
  
“Not to mention conducting secret experiments.”  
  
“Not a hobby. Finished anyway. More refinement and implantation than experimentation. Maybe we both need new hobbies. Soon there won’t be any missions.”  
  
Sasuke got up to clean up and redress.  
  
Dressed in fresh clothes, clean and dry, Sasuke sat on the bed considering what he should do. Kakashi crawled up behind him, still nude, and put his arms around him and pressed his head against Sasuke’s. It felt good just to hold him like this.   
  
“If you wanted to get revenge on Konoha, what would you do?” Sasuke asked.  
  
“Probably destroy the Hokage monument. I’d start with my own face up there.”  
  
“That would damage my brother’s memorial.”  
  
“Assassinate the Hokage.”  
  
“Easily replaced.”  
  
“I’m not good at revenge. Not my thing. I thought you had a plan. You’re the last person I would think would be trying to get advice about revenge.”  
  
“I could just slaughter all the first born sons of Konoha.”  
  
“Too much work.”  
  
“Assassinate all their best shinobi.”  
  
“Naruto, Yamato, Shikamaru, Neji, the entire Hyuuga clan; tall order.”  
  
“That’s an idea: slaughter just one clan like they did mine.”  
  
Kakashi had taken this whole conversation lightly until now. “Please don’t do that.”  
  
Sasuke sighed. “I’ve been hanging around you too much; I’m getting lazy. I lied to you. I was going to raze Konoha. I let you build them back up and I was going to tear it all down again. But I decided against it. Now I don’t know what I should do. All that work and one of my objectives just doesn’t seem worth it anymore.”  
  
“Let’s just leave, Sasuke. Let’s run away, far away from all this. There’s no need to do any more. I love you, let’s just go away.” He kissed Sasuke’s neck.  
  
“No, I need to punish them one more time.” Sasuke went silent; Kakashi let him consider. “Do you think . . .”  
  
“No. No matter what you do, the pain in your heart will never go away. You could kill them all and burn the village to the ground, but it won’t change. I lost my parents, my sensei, my friends, and I still feel it. I even killed a few of those responsible, but it never lessened the pain; it just feels good for a short time.”  
  
“That wasn’t what I was going to ask.”  
  
“Apologies. What were you going to ask?”  
  
“Do you think Naruto will really try to kill me this time?”  
  
Kakashi knew that wasn’t what he was going to say. “Yes. I don’t want you to fight Naruto again. I don’t want to see either of you injured. I don’t want you in danger like that again.”  
  
“When it happens, you will stay out of it.”  
  
Kakashi hesitated. “I can’t promise anything.”  
  
“Hn. I’m going to the throne room to meditate. Don’t disturb me.” He pulled out of Kakashi’s arms and left him alone.  
  
Kakashi sighed. At least Sasuke changed his mind about destroying the village. He sat back and had to smile; Sasuke didn’t want him to leave, he was afraid he would. And he would eventually give him the option. The bastard did love him. Or he was lonely and would miss him. Either way, Kakashi didn’t plan on even leaving. This place had become home more than the Hokage tower had. But just as he was overworked there, he was bored here. No mission today. Kakashi would lounge about.   
  
But first, change the sheets and clean the cum and lube from his body. The saliva, he didn’t mind too much.  
  
\-----  
  
Naruto couldn’t look at Sakura. She had been all but married to Kakashi and she didn’t know. He couldn’t even imagine it. Not only did he trust Shizune, but Sasuke had silenced her before she could say it in his presence. It had to be true. How far had Sasuke really sunk? And Kakashi? Was he really that broken to let that happen to himself?  
  
Sasuke’s words had really affected him. He wanted to run away. Had the village really been unaware and ungrateful for what Kakashi went through for them? Everything he’d heard had been that Kakashi had been suffering as Hokage; Yamato had a free ride in comparison. Naruto regretted his cold thoughts about Kakashi a few days ago. He had to rescue his sensei.  
  
Naruto hugged his knees in his new apartment. He’d had so little time between the destruction of Konoha and going after Sasuke then running off to train with Killer Bee that he never got a new apartment or was able to rummage for his belongings. Someone had tried to recover his things for him and they were here in this newly built apartment.   
  
Naruto looked out the window. He was in the eighth floor, higher than his last place and a great view. When he last saw it, the village was mostly bare wood, much of it put up in a hurry to shelter the civilians. The shinobi at that time had just gathered in large barracks. Now, the village was clean, painted wood, stone, and even metal. It was truly beautiful, much prettier than it had been before Pein’s attack. Kakashi had done a good job. Naruto doubted he would have known what to do as Hokage. Kakashi did a wonderful job.  
  
“What about it, Kurama? Should I . . . kill Sasuke?”  
  
 _All Uchiha are the same. They hold their personal honor and the honor of their clan above all else. They also just naturally have sinister presences._ The fox chuckled. _I should talk. He reminds me a lot of Madara. It was all because of his brother too. One lesson no one seems to have learned is: don’t fuck with an Uchiha’s family, especially a brother.  
  
Sasuke is an imperious bastard and he’s not much of a liar, but he’ll distort the truth for his purposes. Fighting him is the only way to free your sensei. But if he truly is the Uchiha’s mate, you will have to kill him. Uchiha are possessive bastards. A mate is family and the Uchiha defend family._  
  
“Don’t call him a ‘mate;’ it’s creeping me out.”  
  
 _Yes, you’ll have to kill the Uchiha._  
  
“What about what he said? You told him he’d regret it if he killed me; will I regret it if I kill him?”  
  
 _Of course you’ll regret it. But there isn’t a demon within him just waiting to get out and rip your lungs out. Nothing would make me happier than bathing my claws and my fangs in Uchiha blood. I want to see that Sharingan filled with fear._ Kurama was growling sinisterly with the pleasure of the thought. The sadistic pleasure leaked to Naruto and Naruto shuttered.  
  
“When we fight, can I turn it all over to you? Can I trust you?”  
  
 _You give me Uchiha blood and I’ll be a good little pup._  
  
“I don’t think I’ll be able to kill him.”  
  
 _If I do it, your conscience will be clear._  
  
“Yeah.” Naruto didn’t sound convinced.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke sent Kakashi off on a scouting mission. He was ordered to keep his hair covered and prevent anyone from identifying him, not even a bird.   
  
Before he left, Sasuke put a strange arm band against his skin.   
  
“Don’t take it off at all,” Sasuke said. “When you come home, whether you walk or summon yourself, take it off once you’re in these walls.”  
  
“Understood.”  
  
Out in the woods, he found absolutely no human activity. Kakashi took his time and made sure. He was certainly the best shinobi in the world to send out for this kind of mission; he was an expert tracker. However, he was under orders not to allow even birds to know who he was so that meant none of his nin-ken could help.  
  
He realized he was near that wild orchard of cherry trees and the waterfall. Sasuke must want his favorite outdoor nap locale back.   
  
Kakashi made sure he was completely alone and under cover then summoned himself home.  
  
Sasuke was asleep. Kakashi landed just shy of the edge of the bed, about three feet from Sasuke—who was luckily sleeping on his side. It was an amusing thought to drop out of the air over Sasuke and crush him. That was probably one of the reasons he didn’t want Kakashi using that little feature too often. The overhead light was off, the bathroom light was on, but the door was only open a crack for the smallest amount of light. Sasuke actually looked sweet with his mouth open while he slept.  
  
Kakashi stripped, taking the arm band off and placing it on the nightstand, and took a shower. Three days in the forest without taking off a scrap of clothing and he was about smelling his worst. He’d rubbed his hair with natural darkeners to help hide his identity in case some of his hair peaked out. His hair would probably be a light shade of brown for a week or longer. He might do something to bleach it back to normal. He shampooed a third time before getting out and drying off.   
  
Sasuke hadn’t moved. He was near the center of the bed, so Kakashi carefully slid in behind him and molded his body to Sasuke’s and put and arm over him. Sasuke snuggled his head into the pillow, but otherwise didn’t stir.   
  
“I love you too,” Kakashi whispered in response to Sasuke’s trust in his presence. And Kakashi dropped off to sleep.  
  
Sasuke decided to wake him up with the pillow. He’d just woken up himself and was still sitting next to him in bed.  
  
“Report.”  
  
 _Not so sweet after all._ Kakashi sat up and rubbed at his eye, hardly aware he’d slept at all. “No activity of any kind in the area. I wasn’t seen by any human. There’s nothing out there. I made doubly sure there were no traces of human activity.”  
  
“Good.” Sasuke grabbed Kakashi’s off-colored hair. “I like it better white. Put some bleaching agent in your shampoo.”  
  
Kakashi smiled. “Judging from the paler patches on your hands, you have some.”  
  
Sasuke’s cheek twitched. “Those would dissolve your hair.” He looked tired, but started getting out of bed.   
  
Kakashi put his arm around him and kissed his neck then his shoulder blade then his spine.  
  
“You’re the king of the shinobi world; can’t you stay in bed with your lover as long as you want? We don’t even have to have sex if you don’t want it.”  
  
“I’m male; of course I want sex.”  
  
Kakashi kept kissing his back. Sasuke repressed a sigh of Kakashi’s name. Sasuke lay on his back, cutting off Kakashi’s affectionate display.   
  
“Make love to me, Sasuke,” Kakashi said as he moved over him and starting sucking at his left nipple.  
  
“You’re finally begging for it. You used to hate having sex with me. Is this still feeding your self-loathing?”  
  
Kakashi paused in his devotions to say, “I’m mostly over that.”  
  
“Mostly.”  
  
Kakashi didn’t raise his head, letting his lips flutter over his skin and looked up into Sasuke’s black eyes. “I’ve given into my feelings for you. I want to be here now.”  
  
“When I dominate you and look at you like you are nothing, that’s when I feed your self-loathing, isn’t it? I can see it in your eyes. Do you know how hard you get? Yeah, I’ve noticed. When I’m looking through you and see Orochimaru, that’s when it’s worse for you, isn’t it?”  
  
Kakashi raised his head this time. “You see Orochimaru?”  
  
“Not so much anymore. I did every once in a while. It’s mostly you.”  
  
“Do you still hate me?”  
  
“Do _you_ still hate me?”  
  
“No.”  
  
That made Sasuke’s face go slack; he didn’t expect that.  
  
“Do you still hate me?” Kakashi asked again.  
  
“Does it matter to you?”  
  
“Of course it does. Does it matter to you what I feel for you?”  
  
“Not really.” That made Kakashi’s face fall. “I’m just going to trust you nevertheless.”  
  
“You’re not afraid to fall asleep next to someone who hates you?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“If he doesn’t act on it, no. Let’s stop this. I trust you and that’s all that you should need from me. Now fuck me.”  
  
“I asked you to fuck me.”  
  
“But I don’t want to. I’m the master here.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
But Kakashi didn’t reach for the lube. Rather, he leaned down to suckle on Sasuke’s neck, kissing it and pulling at the skin with his lips and teeth, lapping at it, finding the spot that made Sasuke thoroughly relax and lull his head completely to the side. He reached for Sasuke’s cock and gently fisted it, making him harder. He played his fingers on the underside of Sasuke’s length and his balls. The precum leaking from his cock started making Kakashi’s hand tacky and less comfortable.   
  
Kakashi applied the cold lube to his cock. He was afraid he wouldn’t last long since he’d been away for a while without being able to even jack off. He used his slicked hand to tease Sasuke’s ass.  
  
Sasuke didn’t move or respond in anyway, just lay there and let Kakashi pleasure him. The benefit of a sleepy Sasuke. He wasn’t submissive as much as he was lazy as hell. Kakashi wouldn’t put it past Sasuke to fall asleep, especially if he didn’t press his cock inside Sasuke now.  
  
Kakashi eased into that delicious warmth and Sasuke tightened around him, not out of pain, but to give himself pleasure. Despite that little bit of movement, it felt like Kakashi was fucking a doll or a corpse. Kakashi decided to do something about that.  
  
Kakashi aimed straight for Sasuke’s prostate.  
  
“Ughhhaa,” Sasuke let out.   
  
Kakashi smirked. _Play possum on me . . ._ He bombarded Sasuke’s prostate again and again. Sasuke couldn’t stay quiet. Then, quite unexpectedly, Sasuke cam. Bastard was faking his disinterest.   
  
“Haven’t cum recently?”  
  
Sasuke moaned. “What? Did you?”  
  
“I’m just glad you blew before I did. Too sensitive to continue?”  
  
“Go ahead. I want you to make me cum again.”  
  
“Glad to oblige.”  
  
Knowing he was expected to perform for a while, Kakashi slowed his thrusts and took a little more time looking at and feeling Sasuke’s body. Three days shouldn’t have left them both longing for each other like this, but it felt like three weeks.   
  
Kakashi couldn’t quite last long enough; he cam inside Sasuke before Sasuke was ready to do the same. Kakashi hoped Sasuke would move to mount him, but Sasuke just looked up at him expectantly. Kakashi used his mouth, scrapping Sasuke’s cock with his tightened lips, let the head batter the back of his throat, and undulated his tongue against the underside of the hot, thick cock he’d come to appreciate. When Sasuke cam, Kakashi sucked on the head and lapped at the slit even as cum forced its way past his tongue.   
  
He let Sasuke’s cock shrink out of his mouth and then laid his head on his lap, his cheek against his cock. He petted Sasuke’s thigh for a few minutes.  
  
Sasuke sat up a little and tapped Kakashi’s head. Kakashi sat up and let Sasuke leave the bed. Kakashi climbed back up the pillows. Sasuke finished dressing and looked over at his lover; his eyes were sad. Sasuke turned off the lights, plunging the room into complete darkness and left him to finish sleeping.  
  
Kakashi lay back down, curled up under the covers, and sighed. Sasuke may have cracked a fraction of smile, but he was still depressed. Kakashi wished there was something he could do, but he was still just a bed warmer and errand boy.  
  
\-----  
  
Naruto was distracted and stared out the window. He was drawn to memories of the good times they had when they were members of Team Seven. Sasuke rarely laughed or smiled, but Naruto knew he had fun sometimes. Why did everything have to change? It was seeing Itachi in that hotel. He remembered hearing Sasuke’s wrist snap and that look on Sasuke’s face. Naruto wanted to hate Itachi for that, but he couldn’t, not knowing what Itachi had endured most of his life. But it was because of him that Naruto lost Sasuke. In protecting the village, Itachi managed to harm it in more ways than physically.  
  
Everyone else in the room debated ways to fight Sasuke. Naruto’s heart wasn’t in it and he didn’t listen. Their biggest concern was protecting Naruto from genjutsu. Unfortunately, Naruto really had no defense and Sasuke had already showed that he had genjutsu that none of them could break.   
  
“Sasuke won’t use genjutsu,” Naruto suddenly said. Even he was a little surprised he said anything.  
  
“What?” Yamato asked.  
  
Naruto turned his head to face the room. “Sasuke won’t use genjutsu on me again. He wants to fight. He once told me that two powerful shinobi can read each other’s hearts when they fight. We did that before. He even said that he put me under a genjutsu to get me out of the way. He didn’t want to fight then, he just wanted me out of the way. He wants to fight this time. It’ll be a straight battle. We don’t have to worry about genjutsu.”  
  
Naruto turned back to the window. The others debated whether or not he was right. Naruto started to think about Kakashi. Kakashi knew Sasuke best, maybe he always did, having a lot in common. And now they lived together. Naruto’s skin crawled at the thought of what might be going on there. If only he could speak with Kakashi.  
  
\-----  
  
Nine days later, Kakashi was leaping through the trees, enjoying the exertion, the feel of the wind, and the smells of the damp forest after a rain storm. He was skirting the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea, keeping to the Tea side. He was to join a protection detail for a few days as the leader of the Land of Tea traveled through a bandit prone area to meet with the leader of the Land of Snow.   
  
With the undisguised lust to conquer these smaller countries growing as all the nations knew Naruto was getting stronger, the smaller countries grew more nervous. They also feared the Five Nations were beginning to realize that they had some kind of relationship with Sasuke and see them on his side, thus putting them in further danger. No one knew if Sasuke would be their ally if war broke out or if Sasuke would expect their allegiance, but he was as good as an army and they felt it was best to take their chances and side with him, ask and accept his help.  
  
As a former Hokage, Kakashi knew most of this, the rest he learned since he’d thrown in his lot with Sasuke. Getting to know these smaller nations made him want to side with them so he happily helped.   
  
He wasn’t expected for another day, but he enjoyed running. He’d had his ninken with him until a few miles back and now he relished the solitude of running through the forest.  
  
That is until he felt a powerful chakra move toward him. He stopped on a broad tree branch and armed himself, always ready to summon himself to Sasuke in case it was more trouble than he could handle. But he let his guard drop just a little when he recognized that warmth. Naruto. He waited for his former student to join him.  
  
Naruto had adopted that white cloak that reminded Kakashi so much of Minato. He felt a pang of grief. _If only Minato had lived._  
  
“Used the birds to find me?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“How did you know?”  
  
“I’d been warned about that, but it’s not a thing I can guard against. Are you here for me?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Then it must be important. It must take an awful amount of effort to track me.”  
  
“It does. I just had to talk to you.”  
  
“Before you attack Sasuke, you mean. I can tell you nothing, except he’s waiting for this fight. He spars with me, he hunts down bandits; he’s not grown rusty. I don’t want you two to fight, but it’s inevitable.”  
  
“Don’t you want to be rid of him?”  
  
Kakashi leaned back against the trunk. “I used to. You see, I lost all purpose a long time ago. Yes, I had the job of Hokage, but that was a burden I never wanted. I never felt so trapped; I felt like I was suffocating. And that was true for a while with Sasuke too. Our relationship has changed. We’ve grown used to each other and he trusts me enough now to leave. I’ve accepted my lot.  
  
“But that’s not the reason I don’t want you two to fight. I don’t want to see either of you hurt. You’re still my students; seeing you fight kills me.   
  
“I knew as soon as he was given to me as a student that one day I would lose Sasuke. Sasuke could never be persuaded to abandon revenge. I would lose him to Itachi or to emptiness if he killed his brother. You don’t know how I feared that. That he would win. I almost hoped they would kill each other. Sasuke would be a hallow shell without purpose once Itachi was dead. There’s some of that to him now. But it ended up I would be the one to suffer that fate, not him.   
  
“I feel responsible for Sasuke. I’m not saying I’m happy with Sasuke, but, Naruto, I don’t want to go back to Konoha. There’s nothing left for me there except painful memories.”  
  
“You’re wrong, Kakashi.”  
  
“You mean Sakura? That was a mistake. I only wanted the best for her and I . . . I knew it was not the solution to her pain. I am sorry. She deserved so much better.”  
  
“But she loves you.”  
  
“I was always a replacement for you and Sasuke. She has you now. She never should have given her heart to someone so much older than her. I know why she did it, but someone her own age would have been better. Tell her, I’m not coming back and I can’t be a good husband for her.”  
  
“If you don’t want to come home, what will you do when . . .” Naruto didn’t want to talk about Sasuke’s possible impending death, especially with their sensei.  
  
“Retire out here, to one of the smaller countries. When the war comes, I’ll probably just lay low. I don’t want to fight another war; I’ve lived through enough.”  
  
“What war?”  
  
“The moment Sasuke’s gone the Five Nations will try to absorb the smaller ones. Konoha and Suna are still close; Konoha will probably let Suna have the Land of Rivers, but the others will go to war; they all need resources. Sasuke’s keeping everyone in line right now out of fear.”  
  
Kakashi sighed. “If you wanted intelligence on Sasuke, I can’t help you.”  
  
“Does he want me to kill him?”  
  
Kakashi looked Naruto straight in the eye for a long moment. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t think his intention is to die. He has made me wonder though. There’s so much finality whenever he mentions fighting you. Whatever he plans, I don’t think killing you is part of it. But it will be final as to something. He’s waiting for you, something is hinging on you coming to him. I can assure you of one thing, he has no interest in Kyuubi; I destroyed that statue myself on his orders. That’s really all I can say. And the same thing I’ve said before: you cannot save him. He’s chosen his path and he cannot be forgiven or taken back. You must fight him with the intention to kill. That’s all I have to say about Sasuke.”  
  
Kakashi stared down to the side. “I am sorry, Naruto. I could have prevented all of this. I knew he needed to be saved long before you realized it. The very next day after his clan was killed. When I became his sensei, I knew it was my duty to save him. But I didn’t. All of this could have been avoided. I’m to blame for all of it. Even if they don’t know for what, just tell Tenzou, Sakura, and anyone else that I’m sorry. I failed Sasuke, Itachi, Sandamie, myself, Konoha, the entire shinobi world. I thought I had more time. I could have saved Sasuke. It was never your job to do it; it was mine. I’ve paid the price for my failure. I am sorry.”  
  
Naruto didn’t know how to respond to that.  
  
Kakashi straightened and looked at Naruto again. “You’re looking so like your father. He would be proud. You’re in enemy territory; you should get out of here. I’ve got a mission to complete. I’m proud of you too,” Kakashi added before he leapt away.  
  
The door was shut; he was never returning to Konoha. Naruto was left unsure about everything. His attacking Sasuke might lead to war. That was something he didn’t want, but he felt he had to confront Sasuke once and for all. But maybe it was best to stand down. Things weren’t really bad under Sasuke and Kakashi didn’t want to be rescued. After Sasuke, he knew it was useless to try and save someone who didn’t want to be saved.  
  
\-----  
  
Kakashi came back after the mission and reported his conversation with Naruto to Sasuke in the throne room. Sasuke was unhappy that Konoha was still making use of Juugo, but nothing else about it seemed to disturb him.  
  
“Do you want Naruto to kill you?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“No. I’m not so arrogant to say again he won’t be able to put a mark on my forehead, but he won’t come close to killing me. I have a plan. Don’t worry about our fight; it has nothing to do with you.”  
  
“I think it does.”  
  
Sasuke shrugged. His eyes grew darker. Kakashi was sure Sasuke was thinking about that fight next to that waterfall and what came after it: three years with Orochimaru.  
  
He didn’t seem human at times with those dead eyes. But they were the same as when he was a kid. Having known Uchiha Obito, Kakashi had gone to the funeral held for the entre clan after Itachi massacred them. He knew the only reason Sasuke attended was his Uchiha pride; there was no way the last Uchiha was going to hide and cry while his clan was honored. His eyes were dead that day too. And so many times in the months he trained him Sasuke’s eyes would empty of all emotion.   
  
He knew now that the deadness of those soulless black eyes was just a barrier. Sasuke had become very good at hiding the fact he even possessed an emotion beside anger. Kakashi wanted to destroy those barriers and love the real Sasuke he tried so hard to hide. It hurt Kakashi to see the shell of the boy he loved. But he knew he was still in there.  
  
“Get cleaned up.” Sasuke’s voice rocked Kakashi out of his reverie.   
  
Kakashi was glad to shower and took his time under the hot water. His hair was finally returning to its normal white, but he washed it vigorously to quicken it back to normal.  
  
When he was finished, Kakashi changed into warm civvies and sought out the kitchen. The underground corridors were particularly chilly. He actually wished for one of the Uchiha cats to cuddle next to him for warmth. His dogs would only do so much; they would sleep next to him in a blizzard, but they would not sit on his lap because it was nippy.  
  
But there was a creature he preferred was close enough to warm him. A pale, raven-haired bastard. He loved it when Sasuke was affectionate and even seductive. It used to be all orders and take what he wanted, but recently he’d been . . . nicer. It helped that Kakashi was more receptive.   
  
Last time, it had been three days of abstinence, but this had been a week and half. He’d escorted the man to his destination, guarded him there, then escorted him home. Eleven days without Sasuke’s presence. Eleven days without those black eyes so unlike anyone but an Uchiha, without that soft pale skin over toned, lean muscles, without his fresh smelling, raven hair, without his smirking, arrogant, imperious attitude, without his long, thick cock, and tight, hot ass. Eleven days without Sasuke.  
  
Thinking about it made it hard to eat while his stomach flip-flopped. Sex and food never mixed for him. He ate a spare meal before returning to the warm confines of Sasuke’s bedroom. As he walked to the room, he felt Sasuke’s presence coming closer: they were both returning to the room. Sasuke’s presence felt darker, even darker than it was when Sasuke was thinking about Orochimaru. He knew what was coming and he ached for it.  
  
Sasuke materialized out of the dimly lit corridor just as Kakashi opened the door. He followed Kakashi closely into the room, almost close enough for Kakashi to feel his breath.  
  
Kakashi turned around, knowing what Sasuke wanted. He backed away toward the bed more out of fear than anything. Those dispassionate, dominating, belittling, dehumanizing eyes were back in full force. Sasuke definitely had mood swings. He’d been almost loving the last time; this time, he was back to his old self: dominate and uncaring.  
  
None of that mattered right now; what did matter was Sasuke’s orders and the way those eyes made his gut tighten and his cock hard. His order to strip was sudden, but one glace at those eyes and Kakashi immediately obeyed. Sasuke’s expression was dark and aggressive.  
  
With Sasuke in a dominate mood, Kakashi just stood there and waited for instructions rather than just getting on the bed. Sasuke smirked evilly at Kakashi’s complete submission to him.   
  
“On your knees.”  
  
Since he wasn’t told to approach, Kakashi knelt on the floor where he stood, putting his hands behind his back. The one thing Kakashi did that wasn’t normal for a slave in his position was that he continued to look up into Sasuke’s eyes without permission. That didn’t bother Sasuke; he knew that looking in his eyes gave Kakashi as much pleasure as emotional masochistic pain. It was Sasuke’s eyes that truly cowed him and made him submit. Threat of violence and threats against the village would not work anymore, the things that kept Kakashi submissive were love and Sasuke’s dominating eyes.  
  
Kakashi felt his humanity being stripped from him as Sasuke stared down at him. Right now he was a sex object, a slave, nothing more. His erection grew. Sasuke was quickly out of his clothes, easing one shoulder off then the other, nothing but boxers under his kimono. The boxers dropped to the ground just as quickly.  
  
Sasuke came over to him, his cock nearly perfectly at the level of Kakashi’s mouth.  
  
“You want to be fucked?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
No master, no sir. That was alright, Sasuke didn’t need to hear that, just hearing Kakashi admit he wanted it and his obvious submission was more than enough to give Sasuke the high he was looking for.   
  
“Prepare my cock.”  
  
Kakashi leaned forward just a little and took Sasuke’s length into his mouth. He looked up at Sasuke as he sucked, keeping his hands behind his back. Sasuke closed off his emotions and just remained cold toward him.   
  
As Kakashi pleasured him, Sasuke thought about how he was partially recreating his own experience with Orochimaru. Orochimaru would made him get on his knees and suck his cock before he would fuck him whenever Sasuke wanted sex but Orochimaru didn’t come to him for it. As much as he loved the sex back then, he still hated the submissive position he often found himself in, hated the fact he was raped and came to like it. Like Kakashi. But Kakashi didn’t appear to resent it. Sasuke did.  
  
Kakashi became Orochimaru again in Sasuke’s eyes. Kakashi saw the change in his eyes as they hardened even more and there was some anger and hate there. He continued to use his mouth and he continued to look up at him. Fear was almost as good an aphrodisiac as those black eyes.  
  
Sasuke pulled his cock away bent down and put a hand to Kakashi’s bare cheek. Kakashi knew what was coming and there was an unspoken understanding and acceptance: Kakashi would put up with anything Sasuke wanted to do to him. Kakashi also understood who he was to him right now. So it wasn’t a surprise when Sasuke took his hand away only to slap him. Kakashi’s head turned with the impact. The stinging slap made Kakashi’s eyes water. Deep in his chest he felt he deserved it. Sasuke gripped Kakashi’s jaw to turn his head back.  
  
“I want to hurt you so bad,” Sasuke said in a low voice.  
  
“Do it,” Kakashi whispered.  
  
Sasuke’s eyes vibrated. What he wanted to do and what he would allow himself to do warred inside him. He had the impulse to tear Kakashi apart. Rather, tear Orochimaru apart.  
  
“I sometimes wish he was still inside me so I could torture him.”  
  
“Rape me, beat me, anything to ease your heart. I’m here to bare your vengeance.”  
  
Sasuke’s fingers curled to resemble claws, but he hesitated. He shallowly scratched Kakashi’s left cheek. His nails weren’t long, but they were sharp. No blood was drawn, but they left Kakashi with three reddening lines on his face.  
  
The caress down his throat was deceptive. When Sasuke’s hand rested against his larynx, he stopped. Kakashi just continued to look Sasuke right in the eye. It crossed Sasuke’s mind how fragile humans were; so easy to kill.   
  
Sasuke pulled away; killing Kakashi was the last thing he wanted. He fetched the lube and threw it to Kakashi and took his place again in front of his former sensei.   
  
“You know what to do.”  
  
Kakashi did. He squeezed lube onto his fingers, reached behind him and got in the most comfortable position he could while fingering himself and took Sasuke into his mouth again. He looked up and those eyes sent a chill through him, a chill that went down his spine and through his cock. The feeling of his own fingers shallowly fucking himself was doing nothing but making his arm, back, and knees hurt, but performing oral on Sasuke always did turn him on. However, it was those eyes than made him hard and aching to cum, the humiliation of being watched with those eyes as he fingered his own ass. His other hand wandered closer to his cock, wanting to palm it.  
  
Sasuke caught that motion. He leaned to the side and noticed just how hard Kakashi was. “Getting off on sucking me off and fingering your own ass? Want to jerk off? Go ahead.”  
  
Kakashi hesitated, but he obeyed. Sasuke saw the change in his eyes, even in the muscles of the closed one. His expression approached bliss. But there was a type of sadness there that Sasuke had come to recognize in him: shame. Indeed, shame and humiliation coiled in Kakashi’s belly and went to all his erogenous zone. He wanted to be fucked and his nipples abused. Shame and humiliation fed his libido.   
  
“Tell me, Kakashi, which part of this is making you so aroused? Having my cock down your throat?”  
  
Kakashi leaned back and let Sasuke’s cock slip from his mouth. His hand stopped moving. “Your eyes.”  
  
“What about them?”  
  
“It’s humiliating to have you watch me. They strip away my humanity; I’m just sex object to you.”  
  
“It’s good you realize that.”  
  
Kakashi knew that wasn’t true in general, but right now it was.  
  
Sasuke pulled Kakashi back to his cock. “Don’t let yourself cum.”  
  
Kakashi nearly whined; he was getting close. He let go of his cock.  
  
“I didn’t tell you stop.”  
  
Kakashi reluctantly went back to jerking off, but much more slowly. He shut his eyes and diverted all attention to lavishing Sasuke’s cock with all the pleasure he could conjure, only absently stroking his cock. He didn’t have to look up to know he was pleasing his master—looking would have only shown him Sasuke’s emotionless mask. At least Kakashi could feel Sasuke’s pleasure by the thick, hard cock in his mouth.  
  
He knew when Sasuke was getting close from the most obvious sign: Sasuke gripped the back of his head and pulled it to his hips, pressing Kakashi’s nose into his silky black hair. He held his head in place, keeping his cock deep in Kakashi’s throat for several seconds then pulling out only an inch or two before repeatedly thrusting into his throat, bruising it. When he cam, Kakashi was hard pressed to breath and they both expected cum to run out of Kakashi’s nose.  
  
He released Kakashi and then kicked his arm to stop Kakashi from jacking off. “On the bed.”  
  
Not heeding his bruised arm, Kakashi obeyed. He didn’t know how to lay, what was more submissive: on his hand and knees or on his back. He chose on his knees, his favorite position as he loved feeling Sasuke against his back and his arms around him.   
  
Luckily, that was how Sasuke wanted him. He was on Kakashi in a second. A caress down his back wasn’t deceptive. The second stroke was with his nails. The caress woke up his nerves for the scratch. Kakashi absently wondered if Sasuke would send him to Shizune for healing in the morning.   
  
Out of nowhere—which was normal for a shinobi—Sasuke pulled a kunai and pressed the flat plane of the kunai against his back. The cold steel against his fevered skin made him flinch away. He was regretting his words now even though he was pretty sure Sasuke wouldn’t seriously hurt him. At least no more than he had in the past.   
  
Flinching didn’t get him away from the blade as Sasuke didn’t have a firm grip and it moved with him. Sasuke turned the blade so that the edge was against Kakashi’s skin. Kakashi froze. Sasuke scraped the skin over his shoulder blade then pressed the point against Kakashi’s spine without breaking the skin. He lightly drew the tip down the valley of his spine, never adding enough pressure to draw blood. Kakashi’s skin puckered.   
  
Sasuke continued to play the kunai across his skin until Kakashi wished he’d just hurry up and stab him in the kidney. Then Sasuke added his lips, kissing between Kakashi’s shoulder blades. The blade still moved over his skin as Sasuke moved his lips down his back. Sasuke pressed his other hand against Kakashi’s chest to keep him still even though Kakashi was scared to breathe because of that kunai.  
  
Kakashi could tell from Sasuke’s breathing that he was exciting by this. Kakashi wasn’t. His erection was only at half mast. It almost flagged completely when Sasuke pulled away and ran the kunai over his ass, running the tip down between the globe of his ass and over his lubed hole. Had it been a blunt kunai, Kakashi wouldn’t have protested, but if Sasuke was thinking of fucking him with a sharpened combat kunai . . .   
  
But the blade moved on after a few tense seconds of teasing.   
  
“I want to mark you,” Sasuke whispered. “But where?”  
  
He changed the grip on his kunai, holding it across his palm with two fingers and his thumb, leaving his other two fingers free to touch his lover. He moved to run his lips down the side of Kakashi’s back, teasing the soft, sensitive skin there. His lips found a scar from when a broken rib poked through the skin.   
  
“I don’t like how many scars you have that aren’t mine.” Sasuke slit the scar with the edge of the kunai and moved quickly to lick up the blood. To Kakashi’s relief, Sasuke threw the kunai into the door. Sasuke sucked the wound over his seventh rib. It stung, but it was nothing compared to most of the pain and injuries Sasuke’s given him.  
  
The wetness from the blood and saliva spread over his side and started to drip down his chest and to the sheets. It wasn’t physically pleasurable, but it was a turn on having his life fluids sucked out of him by Sasuke. Feeling Sasuke lying over his body, his hair feathering his arm, and his tongue attempting to penetrate his body was intoxicating.  
  
Sasuke straightened and scooped up as much blood onto his fingers as he could and offered them to Kakashi. Kakashi licked at his blood covered fingers. Sasuke leaned in over his back, pressing his arousal into the back of Kakashi’s thigh.   
  
“I like you licking my fingers. Demeaning enough for you?”  
  
Kakashi moaned which made Sasuke growl in the back of his throat. Kakashi’s complete submission excited him.   
  
Without further ado, Sasuke entered Kakashi, hard and fast. The suddenness of it make Kakashi cry out. It hurt, but it was what he wanted. His insides felt like they were being seared by Sasuke’s hot length. He felt full, complete. Let Sasuke cut him and stab him, he loved sex with Sasuke. He did tell him to take out his anger on him. He was always putty in his hands.   
  
Kakashi ran his nails down Kakashi’s back as he thrust into him. The second time, he pressed harder, trying to break the skin.  
  
Sasuke fucked him until Kakashi’s erection came back, then he grabbed Kakashi by the hair and turned them so that they were now facing the door. He pulled Kakashi up.   
  
“Tell me you love being fucked?”  
  
“I love being fucked by you, Sasuke.”  
  
“You love my cock, don’t you?”  
  
“I do; I love your cock. Please fuck me harder.”  
  
“What do you think Sakura would think if she saw you like this? Heard you say that?”  
  
Kakashi kept his eyes shut, afraid he’d really see her in the doorway—he wouldn’t put it past Sasuke to do that.  
  
“Or Gai. Or the Hokage? Or Naruto?”  
  
Kakashi lowered his head, hoping no one was really there, but it didn’t stop the shame he felt and his fevered face grew hotter. Sasuke chuckled right next to his ear.  
  
“What about your parents and dead friends? What if they can see you now?”  
  
Kakashi’s skin puckered. “Please don’t, Sasuke, please.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Don’t bring any of them here, please.”  
  
“I thought you got off on your shame.”  
  
“Don’t, Sasuke. Please. I beg you.”  
  
“Open your eyes.”  
  
“No.”  
  
Sasuke thrust in hard and stayed there. “Open your eyes or I’ll transport us to the middle of Konoha and fuck you in public.”  
  
Kakashi finally did open his eyes. There was no one there. He was greatly relieved. However, the idea—now that the threat of it really happening was past—of being fucked in public, kinda turned him on. If Sasuke had really done it, Kakashi would have been too mortified to enjoy it, but the idea fed his shame.  
  
Sasuke leaned in and bit the top of Kakashi’s ear as he resumed fucking him. Kakashi relaxed and enjoyed it, sure that Sasuke was done with his psychological and physical torture.   
  
After several minutes of thrusting and panting in Kakashi’s ear, Sasuke eased up off Kakashi’s back. He pressed Kakashi down hard and scratched his back in a diagonal swipe, nearly drawing blood. He pulled Kakashi up against him.  
  
“I am a sadist, but nothing I want to do to you would arouse me and just dampened my lust. So I’m just going to fuck the shit out of you.”  
  
“Please.”  
  
Sasuke was true to his word, thrusting in as hard and as fast as he could upright until they couldn’t hold themselves up anymore and fell forward on the bed. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s lower abdomen and fucked him fast. Kakashi cam.  
  
“Masochistic slut,” Sasuke muttered. “You deserve to be fucked like a bitch.”  
  
Kakashi was still riding his orgasm and those words felt good.  
  
Sasuke’s rage couldn’t last and it drained with his orgasm. His body went limp over Kakashi’s for a moment, then he sat back. “Turn over.”  
  
Kakashi turned onto his back, moving to lay his head on the pillow and not in the angled position Sasuke had forced him into. Sasuke languidly bent down to suck his limp cock. Sasuke was tired so he just suckled the length in his mouth rather than slide his lips up and down it. The sucking, his tongue, and the convulsing of his throat were enough make Kakashi erect. Kakashi relished the slow blow job as his abused body relaxed into the mattress.   
  
Hard, but not satisfied, Kakashi whined when Sasuke got up, letting his cock slip from his lips. Sasuke crawled up and kissed him. Not passionate, just slow and sloppy. Sasuke wasn’t hiding his fatigue. Anger did make him tired, as did Doming.   
  
“Your turn,” Sasuke whispered.  
  
“You’re not asking me to slap you around, are you?”  
  
“Too tired.” Sasuke moved to the side and stayed on his hands and knees.   
  
Kakashi had to wonder once again about mood swings. He sat up and leaned precariously over the side of the bed to grab the lube he left on the floor. He knelt next to Sasuke spared the lube on his fingers. Once the lube warmed on his fingers, he went about the business of prepping Sasuke. As he fingered him, Kakashi kissed Sasuke’s back, tasting the sweat that had misted his skin during the last hour.   
  
“Hurry up,” Sasuke said.  
  
It felt so different tonight for some reason. Yeah, Sasuke had just been particularly cruel and Dominating, though not very violent, but it was Sasuke assuming the position and Kakashi mounting him like this that felt strange. It felt clinical. But he mounted him from behind all the same.   
  
Kakashi wondered if Sasuke was so tired, why he wanted to go another round. He thought it best to satisfy Sasuke as quickly as possible so he stroked his half hard cock. Kakashi knew just how to touch him and move inside him to give Sasuke the most pleasure. Sasuke rocked back. As Sasuke’s erection grew, so did his enthusiasm.   
  
Kakashi was certainly hitting and touching all the right spots. Sasuke moaned. Kakashi pressed his face into Sasuke’s soft hair.   
  
“Kakashi,” Sasuke whimpered.   
  
Sasuke never used his name during sex, just that one time when Kakashi was giving him a blowjob, never when Kakashi penetrated him. Hearing his name on his lover’s lips sent a thrill up Kakashi’s spine. Kakashi wanted to whisper Sasuke name, but he didn’t want to bring attention to what Sasuke said, something he probably wouldn’t have owned up to. In that moment, Kakashi thought, _I would betray Konoha for you._ He kissed Sasuke’s neck.  
  
Kakashi sought one of Sasuke’s hands. It was too clinched to thread his fingers into so he wedged his hand under Sasuke’s to grip it. Sasuke gripped back as he kept rocking back into Kakashi’s hips.  
  
Sasuke lasted another minute before he stopped moving as his orgasm ripped through him. Kakashi let himself go inside him.   
  
Sasuke eased down onto his stomach and Kakashi lay down next to him. Sasuke turned his head to look at Kakashi and rested it on his bent arm.   
  
“You can’t bare my vengeance. I can’t bare my vengeance.”  
  
“Then let it go.”  
  
The eyes Kakashi saw were not dead, they were full of pain and suffering. Sasuke would abandon everything if he could.  
  
“I’m . . .” Sasuke trailed off, looking into Kakashi’s eyes. “Tired,” he finished, aborting his original intent.   
  
Even though he was the one to have been abused, Kakashi took Sasuke into his arms and tried to comfort him as he fell asleep.  
  
\-----  
  
Kakashi woke up first. Sasuke moved away from him and was now sprawled on his stomach in an almost Narutoish way. Kakashi eased out of bed so as not to wake him.  
  
In the bathroom, he checked himself over in the mirror and saw that quite a few of the scratches Sasuke gave him broke the skin on his back. Kakashi didn’t mind, he just turned around and took a quick shower. The hot water stung against the wounds.   
  
Afterward, he created a clone to help dry himself and tend the scratches; applying antiseptic and bandages. He sighed knowing Sasuke might want to see them and just rip the bandages from his body. Whatever.   
  
Then he noted his face. The redness from that slap was gone, but there were still three red lines from Sasuke’s nails. The Uchiha was more catlike than ever. Kakashi was now a variable scratching post. But Kakashi also noted he wasn’t looking as haggard anymore. The bags under his eyes were natural, but they were much lighter like they were before the war. His cheeks weren’t so hallow and his skin was a healthier hue. He was finally looking healthy while Sasuke was continuing his transformation into a transparent, deep-dwelling fish—it was the only comparison for his pasty skin.  
  
He also noticed his hair was back to its nearly perfect white. Sasuke’s skin was only a few shades away from the same stark white.  
  
Naruto was nearly back to his full strength. No matter what, Sasuke would reach the end he wanted soon. He hoped Sasuke was healthy enough to survive against a Jinchuriki at full power.  
  
Sasuke grumbled as he came into the bathroom. “We’re training.” He pushed Kakashi out of the room and shut the door.   
  
The mundane parts of their day to day life made Kakashi smile.  
  
\-----  
  
Yamato was surprised when Kakashi appeared in his office. Unlike before, Kakashi was not wearing the all black shinobi gear Sasuke gave him, this time he was wearing the pants, but he was merely wearing his combination shirt and mask, leaving his arms completely bare. That wasn’t the strangest part; his arms were spotted with bruises and there was another next to his exposed right eye. Yamato couldn’t hide his concern.  
  
“They aren’t as bad as they look,” Kakashi assured him. “They’re pretty superficial. We were sparing this morning.” He glanced at the window. “Afternoon rather.”  
  
“What does he want now?” Yamato asked.  
  
“Actually, he just wants some food.” Kakashi handed him the list. “Please don’t poison it; I’ll be eating it too. He’ll probably use me as a food taster.”  
  
“This is the easiest and most mundane request yet.”  
  
Kakashi shrugged. “Konoha had the best saury. But there is one other thing: I have a message for Naruto. I know you don’t trust me anymore, but if you can just summon him here for a moment; even if he just sends a clone.”  
  
“Can’t I just pass along the message?”  
  
“He’s supposed to see me.”  
  
Yamato understood. “Are they really superficial?”  
  
“The ones you can see,” Kakashi admitted.  
  
Yamato signaled for one of his ANBU guard. The masked man appeared. “Summon Naruto,” Yamato said. “He can just send a shadow clone if he likes. And have someone gather these things as quickly as possible.” He gave the list to the guard and the man then vanished. “How are you holding up?” Yamato asked Kakashi.  
  
“Fine. Sasuke was in one of his more brutal moods for the last day. Didn’t break any bones this time though. He’s more prone to mood swings than I originally thought. I’ve grown used to him.”  
  
“Honestly, besides the bruises, you look better than when you were Hokage.”  
  
“Never wanted to be Hokage. Sasuke was terrorizing me more then because there were people to see the results. I’m still his punching bag when he’s angry, but it’s not nearly as often as before. He’s really calmed down. Is all well here?”  
  
“Yes. You may not have wanted to be Hokage, but you did a wonderful job. Thank you.”  
  
Kakashi noticed that even though Yamato was thanking him, he didn’t say a word contradicting him when he said that Yamato no longer trusted him.  
  
“Is Sakura well?”  
  
“She is. She desperately wants you back.”  
  
Kakashi shook his head. “Even if Sasuke released me, I don’t think I’d come back. I’d just retire somewhere. I just hope I was able to make her happy even if just for a short time. I just wanted her to be happy.”  
  
“She would be if you came back.”  
  
“I wouldn’t be. I’d rather run from memories than bathe in them.”  
  
Naruto arrived, coming in through the window much like his former sensei would. He was about to speak, but he saw the bruises.  
  
“Sasuke sent me to tell you not to try to contact me behind his back again,” Kakashi said. “But don’t worry, these are superficial.  
  
“I’m sorry, Kakashi,” Naruto said. It almost broke Kakashi’s heart that Naruto didn’t call him ‘sensei.’”  
  
“Don’t be.”  
  
“How did he know?”  
  
“He has his ways of monitoring me.”  
  
“Even now?” Yamato asked.  
  
“Perhaps.” In truth, Sasuke wouldn’t have known about Naruto contacting him if he hadn’t told him. The seal on his shoulder hadn’t been burning and it wasn’t now. Kurohoshi wasn’t here either.   
  
Naruto took a step closer to Kakashi, but Yamato instinctually put out a hand to stop him.  
  
“Don’t bother, he’s a shadow clone,” Kakashi said wearing the mesh eye patch to use his Sharingan when he liked. “I don’t mean anyone any harm.” He felt some sadness over the fact he had to say that. After all he endured to keep Konoha safe, his friends would doubt him. It made him sad and a little bitter. Then again, he had sworn loyalty to Konoha’s greatest enemy. His heart was no longer torn over that, but it hurt that he wasn’t trusted here. He was a Hokage for fuck’s sake!  
  
Both emotions made it to his face.  
  
“I’m sorry, Kakashi,” Yamato said.   
  
“I can’t blame you, but what gets to me is that he trusts me far more than you do.”  
  
“Why haven’t you killed him?”  
  
“He was my student. You don’t know how many times I considered it.” He stepped back to lean against the wall, but flinched away when he leaned against the scratches; he turned to lean more on his arm.  
  
“I thought they were superficial,” Yamato said.  
  
“I said the ones you could see. My back will be all scar tissue before I die.”  
  
“Why is he doing all this to you?” Naruto asked.  
  
“I’m paying for my own sins as well as anyone else’s who Sasuke blames for his misery.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Yamato asked.  
  
Kakashi took a moment to answer. “It’s my fault he decided to defect and go to Orochimaru. He really went through hell because of it.”  
  
“What do you mean it was your fault? You said it was your fault, but he ran away because he was mad at me. We fought.”  
  
Kakashi shook his head. “I could have stopped him, but I abandoned him that night after you fought on the hospital roof. I should have stayed with him. He thinks so too.”  
  
Knowing that Sasuke was raping him, Naruto asked in a weak voice, “What happened to him?”  
  
Kakashi shook his head. “Not my story to tell.” His face gave a lot away though.  
  
Kakashi was saved by ANBU returning with Sasuke’s shopping list.  
  
“Was there something you wanted to say to me Naruto, when Tenzou stopped you?”  
  
“No, not really.”  
  
Kakashi nodded to him. “Thank you, Tenzou.” He touched the seal on his arm and returned home.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke was meditating for hours. He was still trying to decide how to take his final revenge now that killing every person and utterly destroy the village was no longer an option. He’d already executed those fucking elders in public, humiliated one Hokage, killed another, killed a few shinobi . . . Now he couldn’t even destroy that damn cliff face or the memorial stone because of Itachi’s memorial and his name along with their clan on the stone.   
  
Sasuke suddenly decided to go to Konoha. He arrived on top of the Hokage monument. He sat down and looked out over the village. It was night, but the village was ablaze with lights.   
  
This wasn’t the same village. These weren’t the same blissfully unaware villagers. He’d stolen their innocence as completely as Konoha had striped his.  
  
He looked down and could barely see the edge of the small plaza around Itachi’s memorial. It was well maintained. Not everyone hated him. Perhaps some of the villagers respected and even mourned his brother. That shopkeeper Sasuke had talked to had pitied Itachi, felt bad for what he was forced to do. A few others had joined in their conversation and some had echoed that feeling. Itachi was a hero now; killing his family, deceiving his precious younger brother and hiding the truth from him to his dying moment. Sasuke was the villain. Sasuke was comfortable with that role; probably more comfortable than Itachi ever was. Goodness meant nothing to Sasuke now; Konoha’s betrayal had disillusioned him beyond hope. There was no good or bad anymore; everything was grey.   
  
Sasuke looked up at the starry sky. _Itachi,_ he called silently, _what should I do?_ He knew Itachi didn’t want revenge, would never condone using violence against Konoha, but Sasuke had to do something. Hatred and pain gripped his heart all the time. The only way he could think to relieve it was revenge. There were no ghosts to put to rest, just his own soul.   
  
He called out again to his brother’s spirit, but he felt nothing. He’d hoped just to feel some fragment of his brother’s comforting presence, some piece of his soul in the ether, but there was nothing. The last time he felt that presence was the day Itachi died when he poked him in the forehead and smiled at him, giving him his last words. He then fell down dead beside him.   
  
Sasuke wept. In that confusing moment he had seen his brother again, his beloved Aniki. All he wanted was Itachi back.   
  
It suddenly hit him, how he would take his revenge. He would give them one last taste of terror, using no paper bombs, no scrolls, nothing so secular. They would know righteous vengeance. Divine justice.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke was gone. Kakashi had felt his presence disappear when he transported himself.   
  
He was worried. Sasuke had been acting strange recently. Sasuke had become dominate again and was as cryptic as ever in their after sex conversations. He’d spoken of getting one last piece of revenge. Kakashi’s throat tightened. Had Sasuke decided to do it tonight?   
  
Kakashi wanted to summon himself to Sasuke’s side, but feared what Sasuke would do. He’d made it clear he was only to do that in an emergency and he’d been ordered to leave him alone again. Having almost been killed when summoning himself to Sasuke once made him very gun-shy of trying it again.  
  
Kakashi went outside. The sky was encrusted with diamonds. So far from any other human habitation, the stars shone brightly.   
  
The night was pleasantly cool, but Kakashi felt an arctic chill go through his body. He got the feeling of impending doom.   
  
Kakashi crouched and summoned Uhei.  
  
“Go to Konoha, find out what’s happening.”  
  
His fastest nin-ken vanished into the tree line.  
  
\-----  
  
Ino was walking home when fire caught her eye. Several large fireballs headed into the sky from the top of the Hokage monument. She could feel the air change as more flames were sent into the heavens. Even from this distance, she could feel the heat. They looked like the heads of dragons. She didn’t know what to make of it. A festival? Couldn’t be.  
  
The air felt heavier. She looked into the sky and saw clouds forming.   
  
The fire had drawn many out to the streets. Nearly the entire village was outside looking up at the rapidly forming thunder clouds. Thunder and lightning rumbled through the sky. Then the lightning seemed to converge, lighting the sky up with electricity. It was beautiful and terrifying at once.   
  
But then the lightning took shape. With the body of a deer and the head of a dragon, the beautiful and normally peaceful creature glared down at them with the wrath of a god. People all over the village screamed. Many fled indoors or to the edges of the village, too frightened to consider where safety could be found from this being in the sky. Many others were transfixed by the sight.   
  
Kirin opened its mouth and roared. Then it descended.  
  
\-----  
  
Uhei didn’t just have the speed of a greyhound, he had summoning points across the land he was able to use to get closer to Konoha.   
  
He saw the glow of fires first and then he heard the screams. Uhei rushed up to the top of the Hokage monument for the best vantage point. Sasuke was gone. Many shinobi were up here using water jutsu to put out the fires like rain.  
  
“What’s happened here?” Uhei asked a shinobi who was resting.  
  
“Some kind of demon attacked from the sky using lightning. It set fires all over the village and struck a lot of people.”  
  
“Are they all dead?”  
  
“No, I think only a few died. But many more may die from these fires.” The young shinobi summoned up his strength and returned to the edge of the cliff to continue fighting the flames.  
  
Uhei stepped up beside him and looked out at the village. Not a single building was left untouched by flame, but the flames were nearly out, just a few pockets remained. _Lightning_. It had to be Sasuke. Uhei summoned himself back to Kakashi.   
  
Kakashi was still sitting outside. “The whole village is on fire. They said a demon attacked them from the sky with lightning.”  
  
The chill returned and Kakashi’s stomach dropped. “Sasuke.”  
  
“I think so,” Uehi nodded.  
  
“Spying on me?”  
  
Uhei and Kakashi whirled. Sasuke stood there near the entrance to the fortress.  
  
“Kirin,” Sasuke said. “I made them feel the fear of divine punishment.”  
  
Kakashi stood up. “How many have you killed?”  
  
“None. Many are injured and they may die in the resulting fires, but I didn’t target anyone. I let Kirin ran down on the village indiscriminately. It’s my final revenge; the technique I created to kill Itachi. Fitting, don’t you think?”  
  
“Thank you, Uhei. Go home.”  
  
Uhei vanished.  
  
“Chidori?”  
  
“Yes. Come inside; it’s getting colder.”  
  
Sasuke turned to enter the fortress, but Kakashi didn’t follow. Kakashi ran toward Konoha. Sasuke turned, slightly annoyed.   
  
Kakashi suddenly found himself on the cliff over the village, alone. He skidded to a stop. Most of the flames were out by now, but the village was still smoldering. He fell to his knees. He was in shock, but strangely felt nothing else. No grief, no sadness, just shock.  
  
Kakashi jumped down to the Tower which was scorched and parts of it were missing, turned to ashes and rubble. He found Yamato in his office giving orders. Kakashi waited in back until everyone had their orders and left.  
  
“Kakashi,” Yamato acknowledged.  
  
“How many died?”  
  
“None. I have over a hundred injured though with burns and contusions from fallen rubble, a few were electrocuted. Was this Sasuke’s doing?”  
  
Kakashi nodded. He leaned back against the wall. _Why didn’t he kill anyone?_ “My own Chidori,” he sighed.   
  
“That was far more than a Chidori; the entire sky lit up.”  
  
“He called it Kirin. It’s based on my Chidori. I’m so sorry, Tenzou. My own Chidori.”  
  
“No one is dead.”  
  
“It was never meant as a tool of vengeance. I hope this is the end of it.” He became aware of another presence and looked up. Sasuke stood behind Yamato looking out at the destruction.  
  
“It is,” Sasuke stated.  
  
Yamato turned. His kunai was blocked by Sasuke’s sword.   
  
“I’m finished with this village. Let it burn, let it be attacked, let it rebuild. I no longer care. I’m finished here.”  
  
“Will you let Kakashi go?” Yamato asked.  
  
“No. I’m not done with him yet. Like I said before, you want Kakashi, you either send me what I asked for or Naruto must defeat me.”  
  
Kakashi wanted to argue, to tell Yamato not to do either, that he didn’t want to come back, but he and Sasuke were suddenly back in dark stone corridors. Kakashi used his Sharingan to see in the dark through the mesh of his eye patch. Sasuke had his back to him.  
  
“What did you ask for?” Kakashi asked.  
  
“Something they will never give. Now we wait for Naruto to come.”  
  
“Please, stop using the Chidori against Konoha.”  
  
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m finished.”   
  
Sasuke looked at Kakashi. His eyes weren’t dead, they were sad and tired. Kakashi’s heart went out to him. He was in so much pain. All for his brother.   
  
“Does it really bother you that much that I use your Chidori?” Sasuke asked.  
  
“When you use it against it Konoha.”  
  
“I won’t again. Unless they force me.”   
  
Sasuke looked weak, like it was an effort to stand. Kakashi approached him.  
  
“I’ve used up all my chakra; I have just enough left to live.”   
  
The way Sasuke closed his eyes made Kakashi rush to him. He caught Sasuke before he even dropped an inch. Kakashi panicked and checked for a pulse. It was there; Sasuke was just exhausted. Kakashi released a deep breath of relief. He shifted Sasuke to carry him bridal style.   
  
He took a moment to look down at the boy he once trained. Sasuke would probably never be as vulnerable as he was now. Kakashi had actually died of chakra depletion, so he knew what Sasuke was feeling, but there was still a spark of chakra in Sasuke’s body. If anyone came for him in the next few days, only Kakashi could protect him from certain death. And he would. But right now, Sasuke was getting heavy; he was an adult now and taller than he was during the war. But when clean shaven as he was now, he still looked sixteen. But Kakashi couldn’t hold him forever and Sasuke needed rest.  
  
Kakashi looked around and realized he didn’t know where he was. He pressed Sasuke’s head against his chest and kissed his forehead. Sasuke was so worn out, he sent them to the wrong place. At least it was a secluded place. A concrete corridor. Kakashi knew by now when he was underground and they were. With Sasuke’s low chakra, maybe he transported them underneath Konoha.   
  
Kakashi felt safe so he just sat down against the wall and just held his precious Sasuke in his arms.   
  
_Are you truly finished, Sasuke? Is this really the end for you? Can you finally just let it go? Can you be mine now and not the embodiment of revenge?_  
  
Sasuke shifted to a more comfortable position in his arms without waking.  
  
Kakashi wondered at the fact Sasuke hadn’t killed even one person. He had to acknowledge the poetry of using a technique called Kirin against Konoha. Time would tell if that was the end of his revenge.  
  
Kakashi swept the area once more with his Sharingan and felt for foreign chakra, then shut his eyes and settled in to wait for Sasuke to recover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you never looked it up after seeing it in the manga or the anime, Kirin [or Qilin in Chinese] is known as the Asian unicorn. It only punishes the wicked, normally being a very gentle creature, never even hurting a blade of grass. The Japanese version looks like a deer-shaped dragon with scales all over its body, the legs and hoofs of a deer, the tail of an ox, and has a single back-sweeping horn on its head. It is considered one of the most powerful creatures along with the dragon and the phoenix. It’s one of my favorite mythological creatures. Sasuke’s lightning version isn’t as pretty as it should be. -_-


	14. Release

Sasuke woke to his hair being petted. He wasn’t in the most comfortable position, pretty much in Kakashi’s lap, but he sort of liked waking up like this. His chakra was back up, but not completely replenished. He put his hand on Kakashi’s collarbone and used his shoulder as leverage to stand. Kakashi put a hand on his side to steady him.  
  
“You didn’t stay awake all this time, did you?” Sasuke asked.  
  
“No, I slept for a few hours. I’m not sure how many hours have passed since you collapsed. Where are we anyway?”  
  
“Under Konoha. Orochimaru had information about these tunnels. Root used them. I’m surprised we didn’t have any trouble.”  
  
“Not a soul’s been down here.”  
  
“Hn. Summon yourself.”  
  
Sasuke transported himself home and Kakashi feed chakra into the seal on his shoulder.   
  
“Are you really finished with Konoha?” Kakashi asked once they were safely in their bedroom. “You admitted you lied before; are you really finished?”  
  
“I am. I’m putting it all behind me. I’m tired. I’m done.” Sasuke cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, stiff from the way he slept.  
  
“What about all the work you’ve been doing?”  
  
“That wasn’t just about Konoha.”  
  
“Then wha—”  
  
“Stop.” Sasuke wasn’t angry, he sounded weary. “You seem to have trouble learning certain things. I will not tell you until I’m ready. Never ask me again.”  
  
Kakashi didn’t know what came over him, but he said, “What will you do if I do?” He was flirting.   
  
Sasuke looked at him, horrified, his mouth agape. Kakashi was _asking_ Sasuke to hurt and demean him? He wrestled back control of his expression.  
  
“If you continue to ask, I’ll send you back to Konoha and leave you there.” He immediately regretted saying it. He just received a fantastic sexual invitation and he smacked the other man down. He waved for Kakashi to forget he said that rather than apologize. “I can’t risk you leaking the information. I’ll tell you everything soon, but Konoha will not be damaged. I have to eat something; my chakra is still weak.”  
  
“Can you transport us?”  
  
“I’ve got enough chakra for me. Summon yourself.”  
  
\-----  
  
Everyone was too busy cleaning up and helping the injured to really think. Dawn brought word that no one had died and everyone relaxed. The damage was not catastrophic; they could recover.   
  
Naruto checked in with Yamato to see what he wanted him to do. With his control of Kyuubi’s chakra, he was able to lift heavy loads and had done much to clear the rubble.  
  
Yamato looked exhausted and was rubbing his forehead when Naruto entered.   
  
“Naruto, it was Sasuke.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Sasuke did this. But he said it was the last of his revenge. He said he’s leaving us alone for now on.”  
  
“Kakashi?”  
  
“No. Kakashi was here too, but Sasuke took him back with him.”  
  
“If he’s really done with us, maybe we can forget him.”  
  
“After all he’s done against our village? All those he’s killed and how he’s tortured Kakashi and the rest of us?”  
  
“It’s just more revenge.”  
  
“We can’t trust his word.”  
  
Naruto nodded. “I’ll fight him if you order me to.”  
  
“Once we’ve rebuilt here and you feel fit, you’ll lead a small army to that fortress and kill him.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
Kurohoshi walked up to Naruto and meowed at him. Naruto smiled and knelt down to pet him. “Hey, Koji, you survived, huh?” He picked him up. Kurohoshi purred and nuzzled against him. He looked at Naruto’s face.  
  
Naruto smiled at him. “You know, you remind me of Sasuke a little. I peg him as a cat person. If he were an animal, he’d be a black cat.”  
  
Kurohoshi didn’t react, just kept purring.  
  
Yamato thought about that, but there wasn’t enough chakra coming off the cat to be a summon or a shinobi disguised as a cat.   
  
“How much like Sasuke do you think he is?” Yamato asked.  
  
“Huh? I’d say that about any black cat. I miss him. But that guy in that fortress isn’t him.”   
  
Naruto thought about that for a moment. He wanted to say that the Sasuke he knew died at the falls when he tried to kill him, but there had always been darkness in Sasuke’s heart, as long as he’d known him. The Sasuke he knew never died. Maybe he’d never existed. Maybe, Sasuke was never the person Naruto thought he was, hoped he was.   
  
When had Sasuke been different? Naruto thought back as he petted Kurohoshi. When had he started to like the bastard, think of him as a friend? Haku. When Sasuke had sacrificed himself and they both believed Sasuke was dying. There were a few other moments like when Sasuke was afraid of Orochimaru and Naruto had called him a scaredy cat. There were moments when they connected like that, but they were few. But Sasuke never let him in, never let them be friends. Naruto had reached out a few times, but Sasuke was determined to remain alone.   
  
Naruto realized the same thing Kakashi had, but took it a different way: Sasuke hadn’t changed, he’d just grown up. Rather than still being the arrogant ass Kakashi remembered him as, Naruto saw that Sasuke was always an evil avenger.   
  
What was it in Sasuke Naruto wanted back? Naruto couldn’t think of anything. Iruka was the first to acknowledge him and he was like a father or older brother. Kakashi had acknowledged him and he was sort of a father figure too. Sasuke had also acknowledged him when he said he wanted to fight Naruto. Maybe that was it. Maybe the reason, the only reason, Naruto wanted Sasuke back, felt like he was a friend, was because he was one of the very first to acknowledge him. He was a kicked puppy who didn’t know people could be better than his master so he crawled back to his master and remained loyal. Sasuke was just the first person he was closer to than a stranger and he latched onto him as a friend.   
  
But Sasuke had said he was his friend at the falls and that he had to kill him in order to gain the power to defeat his brother. But he hadn’t killed him. What did that mean? What was Naruto really trying to save? Did he really want Sasuke back or did he want just preserve that early connection? Was it Sasuke or would he had felt the same about anyone? Like a girl who was kissed by some guy just trying to get in her pants and she fell in love for no other reason that he was the first male to show interest in her?   
  
Naruto’s heart broke. The Sasuke he wanted to save never existed. He wanted to save Sasuke from the darkness in his heart, but that was who Sasuke really was, that darkness. Whether that was true or not, Sasuke had surrendered to that darkness. Now he was no better than Orochimaru or Madara. He was an unredeemable villain. Naruto wondered if Jiraiya had thought about this and come to the same conclusion and felt this same pain.  
  
“I’ll kill him,” Naruto said. “I’ll kill Sasuke. Perhaps once he’s reunited with Itachi in the next life, he can finally find peace.”  
  
Yamato nodded. It was a melancholy thought, but he was glad Naruto seemed to be finally giving up on Sasuke. Even Kakashi who was now under Sasuke’s influence said Sasuke couldn’t be saved.  
  
Kurohoshi rubbed his face against Naruto’s chest, distracting him from Sasuke for a moment.  
  
“I kinda want to take Koji home,” Naruto said.  
  
“He won’t stay,” Yamato said. “He can get through a crack like any cat and he’s gone. Sakura said she and Kakashi tried to keep it, but it won’t stay.”  
  
“Like Sasuke,” Naruto muttered. He petted him and felt a strange ridge on Kurohoshi’s hunch. Kurohoshi struggled. Naruto let Kurohoshi down.  
  
Yamato looked at Naruto curiously. “I think he has a scar on his leg, he didn’t like me touching it,” Naruto explained.  
  
Kurohoshi licked at the offending leg.  
  
“A stray like him probably has several scars,” Yamato concluded and let it go.  
  
\-----  
  
Sasuke lay on his stomach, still exhausted after a day. He was awake when Kakashi petted him from shoulder to hip, but he didn’t move or make a sound.   
  
Kakashi had been hesitant, but when Sasuke didn’t even flinch, he continued lovingly stroking him, thinking him still asleep. A few caresses and he slowed even more to explore the scars. The claw marks and senbon scars interrupted the perfect smooth plane of his back.   
  
As close as the two had become, as much as Kakashi had allowed himself to fall for him, Sasuke still felt closed off, distant. He wasn’t affectionate, he was just sensual. A few times, Sasuke seemed loving, but he kept retreating from it. When he talked about love, Sasuke seemed afraid of it. _‘Look what love did to me.’_  
  
Kakashi retracted his hand.  
  
“Don’t stop,” Sasuke mumbled into his pillow.   
  
Kakashi smirked and continued to stroke his skin. “I thought you were asleep,” he said. “How are you feeling?”  
  
“Tired and sore.”  
  
“Sore?”  
  
“Overtaxed my chakra system and that wasn’t the best position for me to sleep in.”  
  
Kakashi hummed and turned his petting into a rub down.   
  
“Oil in the bathroom.”  
  
Kakashi obediently fetched the massage oil and straddled Sasuke’s thighs and started working on Sasuke’s back and shoulders. He moved down each of Sasuke’s arms and even dug his thumbs into his palms. He returned to his back.   
  
“Lower.”  
  
Kakashi massaged his hips, thighs, and ass, purposely avoiding what he knew Sasuke wanted. Sasuke growled.  
  
“I’ll be nice and do what you want since you used up all your chakra—even though you used it against Konoha—and you did promise to leave Konoha alone from now on.”  
  
Kakashi poured a little more oil on his fingers and penetrated him. Sasuke stayed relaxed and didn’t move.   
  
“Lazy cat.”  
  
Sasuke’s hum sounded like a purr.   
  
Suddenly, Konoha was an abstract concept that didn’t matter. Even when he said that name, it didn’t carry any meaning. All that mattered was the body under him. Kakashi massaged his opening and inner walls and the world contracted to just Sasuke. The fact Konoha was reeling from Sasuke’s attack and rebuilding and treating the injured and cursing Sasuke was the furthest thing from Kakashi’s mind. Why was his mind wiped of all but Sasuke at times like these? He couldn’t even remember sex with anyone else. There wasn’t a world outside this room and no one else in existence. And really, as far as he was concerned, there really wasn’t. He’d turned his back on Konoha and everyone there, sworn his loyalty to Sasuke. This was his home and Sasuke was his everything now.   
  
He’d avoided massaging Sasuke’s spine, so it was free of oil. He leaned in and licked the clean skin. Why did he desire Sasuke so much? He just wanted Sasuke. He wanted to touch him and hold him and fuck him and taste him. His desire for him grew quickly as he explored the inside of his body and licked him. He always wanted to possess Sasuke and now he pretty much did; he wanted to act on it, show it, prove it.  
  
Kakashi shimmied his hand under Sasuke’s dead weight to pull him up into a better position. He smiled when Sasuke didn’t help; he just pushed Sasuke’s knees under him so he was positioned properly.   
  
Sasuke still didn’t move even as Kakashi penetrated him. Not even a groan. Kakashi pulled Sasuke’s body up against his body while he thrust into him. He bit down on Sasuke’s neck. That brought Sasuke back to life.   
  
“You dare mark me?”  
  
“Your fault for not participating. You belong to me as much as I do to you, not so, Sasuke-kun?” Kakashi threw Sasuke’s own speech pattern back at him and added a condescending ‘kun’. Kakashi slid a hand over Sasuke’s throat. He didn’t tighten his grip, just held him. Sasuke relax, submitted.  
  
“You’ve really given up, haven’t you? Or are you really just that tired?”  
  
“Take advantage of it. Take advantage of me.”  
  
“For once, I will.”  
  
Sasuke cried out at the violence of his thrusts. Kakashi’s hand instinctively went to Sasuke’s pectoral, automatically groping a breast that wasn’t there. He was claiming him, marking him inside and out, and giving in to his growing lust.  
  
Kakashi growled. “I love you.”  
  
“Ahhh,” Sasuke let out. Kakashi had given up hoping he would return the sentiment.  
  
“Sasuke,” Kakashi whispered as he brutalized the inside of his body.  
  
“Fuck!” Sasuke cried. He didn’t resist or show any signs he wanted Kakashi to stop or slow down.  
  
Kakashi pressed the side of his face to Sasuke’s hair. He came and sat back, Sasuke still clutched in his arms. He breathed heavily right next to Sasuke’s ear.  
  
Sasuke shivered at the sound of Kakashi’s breaths. “I haven’t cum yet, bastard.”  
  
“You told me to take advantage.”  
  
“My turn.”  
  
 _Oh, shit._  
  
Sasuke lifted himself up and away from Kakashi who was too weak to keep his arms firm around him. He turned to face Kakashi and leaned in to lick at his throat. One hand cradled the back of Kakashi’s head while the other started massaging his scalp. It was far more loving and gentle than Kakashi expected. Kakashi rested his hands on Sasuke’s waist.   
  
Sasuke stopped kissing and licking him to say, “I’m too tired. I just want to cum and sleep. How do you want to make me cum?”  
  
“I’ll suck you off.”  
  
“Sounds good to me.” Sasuke eased his body down on the bed.  
  
Sasuke’s hot, hard cock sliding over his tongue felt good, but feeling of the head rubbing against his soft palate and the back of his throat was oh so satisfying.   
  
“Faster. I want to sleep.”  
  
Kakashi tightened his lips and increased the speed at which he moved his mouth over Sasuke’s cock. As good as hearing Sasuke cry out was, these soft, quiet sounds of pleasure were addicting. He used his thumb to rub the underside of the base and soon after, Sasuke whined and came in Kakashi’s mouth.   
  
With a satisfied moan, Sasuke sank into the mattress. Kakashi swallowed and used his lips and tongue to clean the mixture of cum and saliva from Sasuke’s deflating organ. He crawled up the limp body to kiss him, but Sasuke’s eyes weren’t just shut, his face and breathing said clearly that he was fast asleep. Kakashi admired Sasuke’s finely shaped face for a minute.   
  
“Rest.”  
  
It was a stab in the heart that he might lose him. He didn’t like to think about the prospect of Sasuke dying like he did from charka exhaustion, or any other way. With how weak Sasuke was now, he could easily fall ill.   
  
And then there was Naruto.   
  
Konoha would not let Sasuke just disappear.  
  
Kakashi got out of bed to clean up and turn off the light, leaving the bathroom light on with the door cracked since there were no windows or any other source of light. He lay down beside Sasuke and listened to his deep breaths and occasional soft snores. He was really tired.   
  
Kakashi looked at him and he decided that he would protect Sasuke, from anyone or anything. Even from Naruto. He would not let Sasuke die even if that’s what Sasuke wanted. There had to be something he could do to get Sasuke away from here and find somewhere safe for them. Maybe with one of the smaller countries they were on good terms with.   
  
For now, all he could do was look out for him.   
  
\-----  
  
A month had passed. Konoha was mostly back to normal. Naruto was exhausted, but the rebuilding had helped him sync with Kurama and retrain his body.   
  
He flopped down on the bed and heard the crackle of paper under him. He sat up and pulled the paper out.   
  
‘Come after me when you’re ready. Don’t disappoint me.’ It was signed with the Uchiha fan.   
  
_Does he really want me to kill him?_  
  
Naruto had been trying to convince himself that Sasuke never was and never would be his friend, but he kept remembering those few moments Sasuke’s eyes softened, those few times they worked together and felt close.   
  
Maybe Sasuke did want to be saved after all. Maybe he wanted to be killed and sent to see his brother again. Perhaps Sasuke was in pain and wanted it all to end. _‘But you feel tired too, don’t you?’_ Sasuke had looked so weary and defeated in that moment. If he had a conscience, it must be torturing him.  
  
 _I’ll let you go,_ Naruto thought. _I’ll release you._  
  
The image of Sasuke lying dead on the ground make Naruto’s hair stand on end. But Then the image shifted and Sasuke had a slight smile on his dead face. He looked peaceful for the first time. Perhaps death was really what Sasuke wanted. Kakashi had said killing Sasuke was his duty as their sensei, but maybe it was Naruto’s duty as his friend.  
  
Naruto had his resolve.  
  
\-----  
  
They were lounging in bed after a mission, freshly washed, dressed, and relaxed. They had cleared out a mercenary base that was threatening one of the small nations Sasuke was on good terms with. They had eaten very well as payment and were now allowing their bodies to concentrate on digestion and enjoy the euphoric sleepiness that came with it.  
  
Sasuke woke up from a nap while Kakashi was reading. He crawled up to Kakashi’s lips and started kissing him. Kakashi abandoned his book and kissed back. Sasuke straddled Kakashi’s lap.   
  
Sasuke suddenly froze. “It’s Naruto. Come with me.” Sasuke calmly led Kakashi to his throne room. But he didn’t stop at his throne, but continued to wall to the left of his throne. Sasuke opened a concealed door. He pushed Kakashi inside. “Don’t touch the glass or make a sound.” Sasuke shut him in. Kakashi realized there was no way to get out from the inside; he could see out, but he was hidden from view.  
  
Sasuke sat in his throne—imperious as ever—and he waited for Naruto to come.  
  
Naruto used his Senjutsu to locate Sasuke immediately. Sasuke and Kakashi heard him before they saw him. They both had the same thought: For a shinobi, Naruto couldn’t sneak up on a corpse. He was backed up by a hoard of shinobi. Sasuke waited patiently, watching them through the open door as they came down the hall. Being to the side, Kakashi couldn’t see the hall.   
  
Sasuke finally got up and approached the door. To their own astonishment, they all stopped before they reached the doors when Sasuke held out a hand.   
  
Sasuke’s eyes were focused on Naruto, but they slid to Suigetsu. “So you did betray me, Suigetsu.” Sasuke actually looked amused.   
  
Suigetsu was as laid back as ever and smiling. “I never swore loyalty to you.”  
  
“True. You’ve always followed the most favorable wind.” Sasuke looked back at Naruto. Sasuke took a few steps back, gesturing for Naruto to approach. When Naruto’s backup tried to follow him into the throne room, Sasuke glared at them. “I’d step back if I were you.” His hands were a blur of hand signs and the doorframe came down as did the ceiling of several corridors. Naruto’s instinct was to go to help his friends.   
  
“Don’t worry; none of them should be dead unless they did something foolish. Though I’m sure some of them are injured.”  
  
Naruto looked back at Sasuke. “Where’s Kakashi?”  
  
“Can’t you sense him with your all powerful Senjutsu?”  
  
“Where is he?”  
  
Kakashi couldn’t understand how Naruto couldn’t sense him. Sasuke looked toward him, but their eyes didn’t meet. Even Sasuke couldn’t see or sense where Kakashi was and his Mangekyo was blazing in his eyes. Kakashi realized he couldn’t _feel_ either of their chakra. Kakashi began to understand some of Sasuke’s aims.  
  
“Don’t insult me by saying you only came here to rescue him and not rebel against me.”  
  
“Both.”  
  
“If you want to know where he is, you’ll have to fight me. Impress me and I’ll bring him here.”  
  
“I can’t believe you would hold him hostage.”  
  
“Hostage?” Sasuke seemed genuinely offended by the idea. “When I have ever threatened his life? Or his safety?” Kakashi could think of a few. “Especially in exchanged for something? In fact, name one unreasonable request I’ve made of Konoha? Huh?” Sasuke was getting incensed. “What have I done to any of the villages since I made them bow to me? What have I asked of them? A few supplies? Make a memorial to my martyred brother? Not try to kill me? I may have asked a little more of Kakashi, but not the villages. I can understand you’re angry over all I killed, but don’t try to wrap revenge in the robes of fighting for freedom. I’ve brought peace! You’re all still united! United in your fear and hatred of me! What do you think will happen when I’m gone? Everything will go back to the way it was before the war. But so what? Why do I care? I have no connection to you people. Go to war.”  
  
Susanoo grew up around Sasuke. Naruto was bathed in golden fire. Susanoo picked up the throne and Naruto braced himself, but Susanoo just placed the throne further back, out of their way. Then they fought. Kakashi was forced to watch his two students fight. Again. But the monstrous chakra and figures began to rock the room. Sasuke leapt back.  
  
“We bring this place down and all your friends desperately trying to reach you behind that collapsed door will die and so will we. Let’s settle this with taijutsu.”  
  
“What?”  
  
Susanoo shrank away. “You want Kakashi freed? Show me your skill. You should hurry; where Kakashi is there is only so much air. You should also be careful not to kill me either. He can last longer than most, but I die, so does he. I’ll release him if you prove yourself.”  
  
 _Do you even know the definition of the word ‘hostage’?_ Kakashi thought.  
  
Naruto returned to normal and they fought. It was more elegant than Kakashi expected; Naruto had improved and Sasuke was like water. Naruto was able to hold his own. Sasuke leapt back to end it again.  
  
“I acknowledge your power and skill,” Sasuke said. “Isn’t that what you always wanted, Naruto?” Before Naruto could respond, Sasuke summoned Kakashi to him, appearing between his former students.  
  
“Time to make your choice, Kakashi. Who do you choose: your greatest triumph,” Sasuke gestured to Naruto, “or your greatest disappointment?” opening his arms to refer to himself.  
  
Kakashi looked at each of them then turned to Sasuke with a soft look in his eye. “They’re the same thing.”  
  
Sasuke smirked, but there was warmth in his eyes.   
  
“You can never defeat me, Naruto,” Sasuke said as he approached Kakashi. “I was defeated some time ago.”  
  
Sasuke grabbed Kakashi’s wrist. The last Naruto saw of them was Sasuke’s smirk and Kakashi’s smiling gray eye as he looked over his shoulder at him. The pair vanished.   
  
Naruto focused his senjutsu; they were still in the fortress. Naruto burst through a wall with his Rasengan. He headed toward their chakra. All he saw when he reached Sasuke’s bedroom was the air distortion from Sasuke’s time/space jutsu as they vanished again.  
  
He punched a wall in frustration. He went back to where his friends were gathered; having to use his power to burst through the crumbled corridor Sasuke had booby trapped.   
  
“They’re gone,” he told them.   
  
“What do you mean ‘gone?’” Shikamaru asked.  
  
“They’ve run off.”  
  
“Kakashi too?” Sakura asked.  
  
“Sasuke gave him a choice. He left with Sasuke. I don’t think they’ll come back. Let’s go home. I don’t think Sasuke will be a threat anymore. It’s over.”  
  
Lee took Sakura into his arms as she started to cry. She lost them both again. Naruto paused and looked at her, but he turned to lead them all out. The others filed out around them.   
  
“Sakura,” Lee said, trying to get her attention, but she didn’t want to hear anything. Someone else said her name and that got her attention. She looked around at who had said it. Kakashi. She flung herself at him and cried into his chest. Kakashi put his arms around her.  
  
“I’m so sorry,” Kakashi whispered once she calmed down a little. “I’m sorry. I failed with all three of you.”   
  
Sakura hugged him, but didn’t lift her head. “No, you didn’t.”  
  
“I was with Sasuke that night. If I had stayed, he wouldn’t have gone to Orochimaru. I didn’t train Naruto as much as I should have, or you. I was too concerned with Sasuke, but I even failed him. And I never should have slept with you; I’m too old for you and not worthy of you. If I had known I would have to leave you, I wouldn’t have done it. I do love you, but it was a mistake.”  
  
“No, I love you.”  
  
“Naruto and Lee, and probably more besides, love you. You never should have chosen someone as old as me. Forget me. Goodbye, Sakura.”  
  
“Don’t leave me,” she begged.  
  
“I’m sorry.” He looked at Lee. “You mind turning around for a second?” Lee obeyed. Kakashi pulled down his mask and kissed Sakura briefly on the lips. “I’ll keep an eye on Sasuke; I don’t think he’ll harm Konoha again.” Kakashi activated the summoning seal on his shoulder and he vanished.  
  
“Why didn’t you tell him?” Lee asked as he turned back around. Sakura just cried harder.  
  
\-----  
  
Kakashi realized that they were in a cavern behind the waterfall next to the cherry tree orchard. While he was talking with Sakura, Sasuke was transporting their furniture and belongings here. He’d caught Sasuke in the cavern, but Sasuke was immediately gone. The bed was here so he sat down on it waiting for Sasuke’s return.   
  
Things materialized as Sasuke used his time/space jutsu on just them. Finally, Sasuke returned. He threw himself on the bed next to Kakashi.   
  
“Everything is either here or in the cistern. They all left, but I’m sure they’ll be back. I burned the lab.”  
  
“The lab? You going to tell me what it was all about?”  
  
“Not now. Tomorrow.”  
  
Sasuke pulled Kakashi down to kiss him. Sasuke never kissed him with so much passion before. His touch was desperate, but it felt more loving. It was unbridled passion.   
  
But it faded; Sasuke was exhausted. His arms fell to the bed and he stopped the kiss.   
  
“Thank you for staying,” Sasuke whispered.  
  
“You think I would leave you?”  
  
“I love you,” Sasuke said. “Always have.” Emotionally and physically tired and chakra depleted, Sasuke passed out.   
  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As was brought to my attention by a reviewer, the song “Not Strong Enough” by Apocalyptica is now the official song of this story!


	15. Endings and Beginnings

Sasuke’s confession left a smile on Kakashi’s face that he could not kill for hours. After Sasuke passed out and Kakashi checked his pulse, Kakashi started really moving them in, moving furniture and putting things in place rather than the piles Sasuke brought here.

The apartment Sasuke created in the cliff was far smaller than Madara’s fortress. It was cozy. By the time Sasuke woke up, it was clean and felt like a home. The scowl on his face was totally normal in the mornings, so Kakashi couldn’t gage him at all.

Sasuke had brought all their in-fortress food as well, so Kakashi offered him something to eat.

“Nah.” Sasuke lay back down. “How long did I sleep?”

“Over a day. I didn’t think the fight or chakra use was that bad.”

“It wasn’t. It’s the relief. It’s over, it’s all over.”

Kakashi came over and sat on the narrow strip of the bed next to Sasuke and looked at him. Sasuke was weeping silently.

Sasuke sniffed. “I’m so relieved. I’ve been waiting for this. Originally, I had planned that Konoha would be a smoldering ruin when I fled here, but I’m fine with this.”

Kakashi rubbed Sasuke’s clothed chest. “You had me worried; I thought you really wanted to die. I was trying to think of a way to save you. I wasn’t going to let you run away to the afterlife.”

“I was fine with dying—by your hand would be my preferred way of going—but it was never my plan.”

“That’s why you weren’t afraid of being unguarded around me, even when I thought about killing you.”

“Yeah. I could feel it and I wondered if you would really do it.”

“I almost did. I’ll let you wake up before I ask you what’s going on. I’ve straightened up everything, but you might want to do your own decorating.”

Sasuke’s eyes were still releasing a torrent of tears, but he smiled. “You said I was your greatest triumph and disappointment. Are you proud of me?”

“Your power is unmatched. Yes, you’ve done a lot of bad things, but you didn’t slaughter Konoha. I think you’ve finally outgrown revenge. I am proud of you.”

“Itachi?”

“Yes, I think he’s proud of you too. I’ll get you some water.”

Sasuke grabbed his wrist. “Stay.”

“Alright.” Kakashi crawled over him and lay down next to him and threaded his fingers with Sasuke’s.

“I want you to know that what I said was true: I do love you.”

“I knew you did, but I’m glad to finally hear it.”

Sasuke sniffed again. “Are you sure you want to stay? They know I’m not dead; I’ll be a target the rest of my life and so will you if you stay with me.”

“You’d doubt me now? There’s nothing more dangerous about staying now than before.”

“But I’m giving you a choice now.”

“For which I love you more. I’ll stay.”

“And now they know you chose to stay. Before they wanted to save you, now they will just want to kill you.”

“I have nothing to return to. Even if I did, I’d rather stay with you.”

“Do you have food ready?”

“No.”

“Let’s go to the cistern. I’ll tell them down there about what happened. And I’ll finally answer all your questions.”

\-----

After a meal, Sasuke finally took Kakashi to meet Neko-baa with Tamaki in tow. Kakashi was stunned to see a half woman, half cat.

“So, you’re the kitten’s mate.”

“Neko-baa,” Sasuke whined.

“I assume something’s happened since you transported so much down here and finally brought Kakashi-kun to meet me.”

“I attacked Konoha, but didn’t level it. They finally rallied and attacked the fortress so I abandoned the place. I’m finished. I’ve fled, I’ve capitulated. The shinobi world is free from me. I’m done. So I’ve promised to tell Kakashi everything and you probably want to know everything as well.”

Neko-baa nodded.

All four of them and about twenty sentient cats got comfortable.

“You all know the story up to when I fought Itachi. When I confronted him, I confirmed that he wasn’t the only one who slaughtered our family. He admitted Madara helped him kill them. There was no way after hearing that Madara also participated in the slaughter that I was going to happily assist him. Even after everything Madara had to say about Itachi and his motives when I woke after the fight, there was no way I was going to let Madara live. However, my anger at Konoha trumped my anger toward him and he had much to teach me. He used that anger to set me against Konoha. He only delayed his own death.

“Konoha had already been destroyed by Pain so I attacked the Kage conference and fought you, Kakashi. After that fight, when you and Naruto faced me, I asked Madara to give me Itachi’s eyes.

“As I was recovering from having my eyes replaced with my brother’s, my hatred grew stronger for the entire shinobi world. All I ever wanted was a happy life with my brother who I looked up to before that night. Ever after that he was my measuring stick.

“Then Zetzu started babbling as he checked my eyes. They were healed. He said that with me and Kabuto’s undead army, the war should end quickly. My temper was sparked by the mention of Kabuto, but that was nothing compared to when he said, ‘You and your brother, nothing can stop us.’

“My brother. Kabuto had brought my brother back from the dead to use as a soldier. I decided to test my new eyes. I killed that fucking bastard, Zetzu. My rage knew no bounds.

“I was hunting for Kabuto, to kill him, but I found Itachi instead. He tried to ignore me, but I wasn’t going to let him. It turned out he was able to free himself from Kabuto’s control and was looking for him as well. With the same aim, we fought Kabuto together. Itachi defeated him; I merely helped.

“We got to talk for a minute before Itachi released the Resurrection jutsu. I told him how angry I was and that I wanted to destroy Konoha and everything else for what they did to him. The more I remembered the kind brother I adored, the more my hatred grew.

“He didn’t tell me not to do it. He didn’t try to stop me. He just told me he would always love me, not matter what. I knew what I wanted was against his wishes, but he would never hate me for it. He could forgive me. Then he vanished along with all the those Kabuto had brought back.

“So I went to the battlefield. I had these new eyes but only a surface understanding of how to use them so I demanded Madara train me before we fought the allied shinobi forces. With the Sharingan and Tsukuyomi it didn’t take long. Honestly, we were both tired and weakened from that, but he was eager and confidant and I was full of rage.

“As you know, I stabbed him in the back. I wanted him to know why. I whispered to him, ‘I know you helped Itachi kill them. You were a fool to trust me.’ He was of no further use to me. I gouged out his eyes so no one else could use them like you did with Obito’s.

“My chest felt hollow. It was over. I was the last Uchiha and my revenge was complete. Sort of. The face of my kind, loving brother grew up in my mind’s eye and I heard Madara’s words: ‘To him, your life was worth more than the village.’ Rage and hatred filled the emptiness in my chest, burning away everything else. Konoha had taken my brother from me. The shinobi world took my brother from me. I let that rage I felt in the Land of Iron fill me again. But this time, I was more in control of it. Rather than being engulfed in the flame of insane rage, it was like a cloak.

“Honestly, before that day, I never killed anyone. Danzo killed himself and Orochimaru wasn’t really dead. But it didn’t bother me. I was just so angry.

“When I fled the battlefield using Kamui when my chakra got too low, I sought out my teammates, Juugo and Suigetsu. I asked them to guard me while I slept. Despite all the death I wrought, I slept well. I think it was because of them. I wondered if that was being around family was like. I remembered that security. I felt it before at the Okoshi Inn where I stayed with my team before I faced Itachi. I felt it before then. Not with Itachi or mother, but in the woods on a mission with Kakashi on watch and Naruto and Sakura sleeping near me. On that plateau with you as you trained me in the Chidori. With you, Kakashi.”

Kakashi smiled.

“But that family I had with my last team would not last long. Juugo didn’t want to kill and I didn’t force him. I told him to go, just guard me for one night and then he could leave. I invited Suigetsu to join me in the slaughter.

“I returned to the battlefield and fought Naruto. I knew the faith everyone had in him and I wanted to show them how hopeless their situation was by defeating him. It wasn’t hard to put him in a genjutsu.

“I really didn’t know Tsunade, so killing her didn’t hurt me. But killing Kage, who I blamed for this world that lead to my brother’s martyrdom, felt sooo good. I never felt more alive. I knew death wouldn’t make my brother happy, but I felt I was doing it for him. I knew it wouldn’t give him peace, but I hoped it would give it to me. It sated me for  a while, but it didn’t fully sate my rage and bloodlust.

“I killed and I killed. No remorse, no pity.

“I decided to return to Madara’s fortress that night since it was nicely located, had a prison, and it was the last place that was like a home to me. I tried to find a room that felt like my brother might have stayed there, but if he ever stayed there as part of Akatsuki, I couldn’t find a trace of his presence. Madara, of course, had the best room so I took it over, but I burned all the bedding and the mattress. I didn’t want to sleep in the old man’s bed, so I used a bed roll in the throne room that first night.

“There were only a few small groups of shinobi looking for me the next day. That suited me fine since the constant high level of fighting was taking a toll.

“But then I faced you, Kakashi, of all people. I know my expression didn’t change, but inside, I was a mess. My heart hurt seeing you. I thought that maybe if I killed you and Naruto and Sakura, then the last of my pain would die too. My conscience. I was also hurt that you were hunting me. You had tried to kill me before when I was out of my mind after fighting Danzo—I didn’t really care then; I really was out of my mind—but then, when my thinking was far clearer, it hurt.

“I killed everyone who begged for mercy or tried to surrender, but looking down at you, so defeated and hopeless, I couldn’t bring myself to strike. Seeing you give up like that . . . I was overwhelmed with a desire to touch you—just touch you, feel some sort of connection to you. I just couldn’t kill you. So, I put you in the cells with Naruto and that other one.

“I was then alone in a field of corpses. Seeing you surrender actually brought some sanity back, sanity that I thought I was in control of. I found it harder to kill people after that. I guess you woke me from my rage. I told Suigetsu to start capturing shinobi. Someone needed to be sent back to their homelands to instill fear. Or so I told Suigetsu. Once all resistance was ended and the cells were filled, we returned to the fortress.

“I decided to stay in the fortress; it was a good place to rule from. I let my captives stew and I transformed the next day and went out to buy new bedding.

“After a good sleep, I went to Suna and Kiri and made deals with Gaara and Mei. They had seen what I’d done to the other three Kage and Gaara didn’t have a tailed beast in him anymore, so they bowed to me. I let them remain Kage even though I wanted to kill them too. They were young, however, and weren’t in power when my brother was martyred, so they weren’t as much to blame.

“When I got back, I was looking for Suigetsu, and checked the prison as well. There, I found that many had killed themselves rather than face me. Suigetsu was relaxing in one of the natural pools under the fortress. I told him to bring you to my throne room. I have to say, it felt good to be sitting in such a symbol of power.

“I was surprised by my own relief that you hadn’t committed suicide. I was honestly glad, relieved. You stirred more emotion in me than anyone else. Rather, you were the only one who stirred any emotion in me. When you honestly apologized and honored my brother, I truly loved you for it. I knew you meant it. In reality I hadn’t demanded such a proclamation from anyone else yet. I did afterward and you were the only honest one. Sakura might have, had I given her the chance.

“However, you can’t know the anger I felt at the very idea of your Sharingan. I have no family. There are no Uchiha left, just me. You bore the symbol of my clan, a symbol of family. It angered me. I was seriously tempted to take your eye, but the fact you were really going to do it, touched me. You obeyed me. You felt bad for me. You felt for me. You sympathized with me. You understood me. I decided to let you keep it; that was a bridge I wasn’t prepared to burn. You possessed a symbol of my family and in you there was a potential for family. I couldn’t destroy that. I knew I should have felt that connection more with Naruto—and I did at one point—but now it was you who made my heart bleed. Maybe it was just pity because you were defeated; Naruto was eternally optimistic and unbeaten, earning my scorn. He could be so happy despite everything. I didn’t think I could ever be happy again. I hated him. But you . . . I didn’t see any hope in you left for happiness. I sympathized with you. We would never be happy again. I liked scaring you too.

“As for making you Hokage, what I said was true: I wanted you to suffer at a job I know you’d loathe. I wanted you to feel isolated, like I felt. I wanted to share my pain and misery.

“What I did to you in exchange for Sakura’s life, that was really caprice. I did want to degrade you. I loved you and that’s why I felt so betrayed and liked subjugating you. But I loved you.

“But Sakura. I really did want to kill her. I hated her. She thought she could take away my pain. She thought she could make me happy. How? What did she understand of my pain? How could she make me happy? Sex? Her presence? Stupid kid’s games? How did she think she could help me?! She had parents, friends, a village, everything I had lost! What did she know of pain? And then she took you from me. So I took you. I punished her by taking you, even if she didn’t know. She was so useless. I hate her. She could never make anything right.

“I had some unresolved business with Konoha, one last piece of revenge. I set you all free to return home, but I went to Konoha ahead of you. I stood in the middle of the main street. They were still rebuilding and the city was lively despite already getting news from deserters and survivors about the slaughter I wrought. Those shinobi were suffering more from mental trauma than physical.” Sasuke let a smirk out at that.

“As soon as I appeared, every armed shinobi pulled a weapon and civilians drew back. Yet, no one dared attack me. I ordered Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu brought out. They came out on their own, driven by the weight of their own sins. Every person I killed was on their heads. Every atrocity was their own. I told them to admit the truth to the village and they did. I had to swallow my grief as I heard them confess the truth about my family. And then I executed them. I discarded their heads in the forest; what was I going to do with the heads of two old bats?”

Sasuke had been somewhat worked up during his speech, but he relaxed now. “But at that point I had nothing left to accomplish. I sent Suigetsu to Kiri and just tired to figured out what to do now that I had no one.”

“You knew about Suigetsu’s defection,” Kakashi said.

“Yes. I told him to cut his ties to me as soon as he returned to Kiri. I didn’t want him tied to me. Let him be damned for his own actions, not mine. Let him earn it. All he ever wanted was to be the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

“I needed time. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I had no goals now that Itachi was dead and I had my revenge on everyone else. I was adrift. I just laid around and rested. I slept a lot. I felt that I still owed it to my clan to have children, but I didn’t know if that was a good idea. I needed time to decide if I even wanted a future. I finally decided that no matter what, I would need to disappear; somehow I needed to be able to hide from the world which now wanted me dead.

“I remembered some Orochimaru’s experiments. He was always looking for ways to hide, especially from Jiraiya with his Senjutsu. I took over that research. He’d made a lot of progress. I’ve been working all this time in order to hide. I just wanted to disappear.

“I also started to research how to make that summoning seal I gave you. I guess I should have researched it more, but it ended up being useful as is. The chakra blocking and absorbing glass took over a year to figure out. I made a bracelet out of it and wore that and gave it to the cats I used as spies so that no one would suspect we were anything but normal cats.

“I didn’t bring you to live with me sooner because I wasn’t finished shielding my laboratory with the glass. I sent you on that mission to get back what was stolen from me to get you out so I could install the false wall in the throne room without you knowing about it. That and I was still seething. I wasn’t just angry with you, but with myself, the fact I could lose control like that and confess how much pain I was in.

“I was still angry and did research weapons and seals and I was going to use them on Konoha, but I finally decided against it. But they were made. The war is coming and I will side with the smaller nations. I’ll give some of the weapons to them to defend themselves.

“Anyway, as angry as I’ve been with you and all the bad things I’ve done to you, I did always love you. I’m glad you’ve chosen to stay.

“Questions?” Sasuke finally finished.

“Not at the moment,” Kakashi said.

Tamaki shook her head and Neko-baa just took a puff of her pipe.

“So, I’ve run to ground and I’ll be trying to remain hidden for a time. I might still go help the Land of Rivers and Valleys and Tea and such, but I’m going to hide for the rest of my life most likely. I’m finished with the world.”

“I guess I’m retired now too,” Kakashi said. “What about your clan?”

“Let the war run its course first.” Sasuke closed his eyes. He was still tired. Then again, this was probably more than Sasuke had ever said in a day or week.

“Let’s go home, Sasuke,” Kakashi said. “You look like you could sleep another day.”

“Hai.” Sasuke nodded to Neko-baa and then vanished. Kakashi fed chakra into the seal to follow him.

Kakashi smiled as Sasuke crawled back into bed like a cat. He intended to let Sasuke sleep and head outside for a few hours, but Sasuke stopped him.

“You succeeded, you know.”

“What?”

“I had every intention of leveling Konoha and killing every man, woman, and child. I only stopped because of you. It was your home, a place you wanted to protect. You did protect Konoha. They may never know it, but you saved them all. You really were an excellent Hokage.”

“Thank you.”

“Wear the bracelet when you go out so they don’t find us.”

Kakashi smiled fondly at him. “Hai.”

\-----

The war began. It was more like several small wars, like fires started by embers carried on the winds. Sasuke would have bet money Iwa would be the first to move, but Kakashi wouldn’t have taken that bet. Neither Sasuke or Kakashi particularly liked Ame, but they disliked Iwa more; Konoha was at war with Iwa when Obito was killed.  Sasuke felt some grim satisfaction when Iwa attacked Ame, starting the war.

It was only two months since they fled, but Sasuke was happy to have the excuse to fight. He didn’t like the rain though.

This would be the first time they would really fight together. They had killed bandits side by side, they had done small missions for the smaller nations, but this was war. Sasuke was damn near giddy at the prospect. Kakashi was experienced and calm.

Dressed all in black, even their hair covered, no one could identify the pair unless they were in full light and close enough to see the black on black stitching of the Uchiha fan on their backs. Ame-nin knew these two were in charge though.

They’d been scouting the Iwa army along the border. Now they watched as Iwa’s main force prepared to cross into Ame. Kakashi didn’t like it. There was little cover and the numbers weren’t great on their side. Sasuke smiled though.

Iwa advanced. A hundred shinobi ran across the border. Their footfalls set off explosion after explosion. Some had leapt over the traps, but a majority of the attacking shinobi died right there.

“Over confident,” Sasuke sneered. “Just because they don’t see any defense, they advance without thinking. What was it you told Naruto? ‘You have to see underneath the underneath?’ They should have looked underneath the dirt.”

Kakashi wanted to roll his eyes, but he was focused on the enemy.

The shinobi who made it over the border were afraid to rejoin their comrades who were smart and scared enough not to advance. Sasuke whistled and the ground erupted in Ame-nin attacking the few Iwa-nin who were on the Ame side of the border.

“Shall we attack?” Sasuke asked Kakashi.

“I’d prefer if it were dark or/and there was more cover.”

“The forests of the Fire Country spoiled you.”

“You can attack if you want; you have Susanoo.”

“No fun. We’ll wait until dark. If they’re still here, we’ll attack.”

But Iwa didn’t want to wait. They released a hail storm of kunai into the ground to set off mines. But none went off. Foolishly believing that that meant all the mines had gone off, Iwa advanced again, ready to engage the hundred or so Ame-nin. Yet, the moment their chakra infused feet hit the dirt covering the mines, the mines went off. Sasuke smiled at his own cleverness. These were among the weapons he’d developed over the last few years, originally intended to wipe out Konoha. More than half the army was killed or wounded.

“Well, I’m bored.”

“Sadist,” Kakashi sighed.

“They’re retreating. That’s boring.”

They stood from their cover, a rock amid the barren landscape. Iwa retreated, but one saw the pair all in black appear. The way the materialized and the way they stood revealed to the jounin that these two were in charge. He split off, three of his fellows following.

Sasuke smiled as he snatched a kunai from the air before it could touch his forehead.

“They don’t wish to disappoint me,” Sasuke said.

Kakashi sighed. “Have fun.”

Sasuke leapt out to meet the team who carefully planted their feet where the mines had already gone off. He unsheathed his sword with a flourish. Kakashi sighed again. When did Sasuke turn into Naruto? The answer was simple: when he got bored. Kakashi sat on the rock and watched.

Really, against a single team, Sasuke didn’t need anything special, but he hadn’t been able to fight since he fought Naruto. Sasuke’s sword sparked with blue and white light and even as he ran away, Kakashi could hear the chirping of a thousand birds. He had to smile. Through betrayal and battles and everything they went through in the last few years, Sasuke had not only mastered Chidori, he’d made it his primary technique, relying on it more than his own Uchiha gifts, and had taken it to heights Kakashi had never even dreamed. He never gave a thought to making it into senbon or running the current through his whole body. The Sharingan of course helped, but Kakashi had honestly given up once he mastered his own personal technique. Sasuke had mastered a new personal technique, but then kept creating more and more new techniques. His other master, Orochimaru, was all about collecting and creating jutsu, so it made sense. Kakashi was truly proud of the homicidal maniac. It was definitely wrong to be sighing over a man currently butchering a team of shinobi who couldn’t know just how out of their depth they were.

A dozen Iwa shinobi noticed the light and sound of the Chidori.

Kakashi stood up. “I never thought I’d say it, but you’re being too flashy, Sasuke,” he said out loud even though Sasuke was too far away to him.

As Sasuke whirled, Kakashi crouched and fed chakra into the seal on his shoulder. He appeared under Sasuke’s sword. Sasuke saw him as he rotated. He smirked. They finished off the first team and threw themselves at the new arrivals.

Despite these ninja having been his enemies a decade ago, Kakashi felt a pang fighting these people; he had been allied with them not long ago. It was worse that he recognized one of the new arrivals. He signaled to Sasuke that the short one was the most powerful.

Nine shinobi met them. Kakashi attacked and drew two of the men away, leaving the rest to Sasuke for the moment.

It was time to try some of Sasuke’s Chidori techniques Sasuke taught him. As Kakashi used his kodachi to block a swipe with a kunai, Kakashi used Chidori Nagashi. The current ran through the kodachi and into the man’s kunai, executing him, but not fatally. Sasuke eyed him as he spun to attack another man and smirked.

He stabbed the injured man as he turned to the second man and dealt with him with his sword and rejoined his lover.

Sasuke cut two down as they tried to attack Kakashi, leaving only one left. The man Kakashi had singled out wove signs for a wind nature jutsu. Sasuke summoned Kakashi out of the way just as his jutsu cut at the fabric covering Kakashi’s distinctive hair.

The short man turned to see the white brush of hair.

“Hatake? So this one is the Uchiha?”

Sasuke was happy to pull the cloth from his head; the thing was hot once he started moving. The rain felt good after a fight.

The short man looked right into Kakashi’s one uncovered eye. “Taiseki was my sempai.”

“Who?”

“Your team killed him during the Third War. It must have been that damn Sharingan; he was a master of Meisaigakure no Jutsu, the Camouflage Jutsu.”

“Yeah. He’s the one who gave me this scar.” Kakashi pulled his eye patch off. “You know, mentioning something like that isn’t going to throw me, but it’s not a good technique to keep you alive either.”

“I think you’re plenty upset.”

“He’s not the one you have to worry about upsetting.” Sasuke was honestly angry. Though most of his power came from the Chidori the lost of Kakashi’s eye perfected, this man was the kohai of the man who hurt his lover. “Your sempai hurt my sempai, I think we kohai should settle our sempai’s score.”

“I’m not really looking for revenge,” Kakashi said, trying to ease Sasuke’s fury. He was going to remind Sasuke that emotions would cloud his judgment, but then he remembered that Sasuke ran on emotion, on revenge. He saw the poetry of kohai versus kohai. That man was also the man who captured Rin. “Take him.”

“I wasn’t looking for your permission.”

“Use your Sharingan and my Chidori. Avenge your cousin too.”

Sasuke’s eyes blazed, but he sheathed his sword. He grabbed his left wrist, activated the Chidori, and charged. The shorter man gave a battle cry and charged forward too. He vanished, but Sasuke’s Sharingan saw him clearly. He didn’t seem to understand that not only could Sasuke see his chakra, but he could see all his hand signs and changes in chakra nature. Not only that, but Sasuke had speed that surpassed Kakashi’s.

The man made a fast series of signs, changed his nature to wind, and leapt up. Sasuke saw it all. Sasuke dove to slide under him and filled his lungs with fire nature chakra, using the Grand Fireball Jutsu while still holding the Chidori around his hand. The fire fed on the wind, creating an even bigger fireball that even Kakashi had to dodge. Before the man could recover, Sasuke was right in front of him and drove his sparking hand into the man’s chest.

“Team Kakashi wins again.” Sasuke let the man fall. “We’ve wasted enough time here. I’m sure several other entry points were attacked and at least a few had to have been breached.”

“Hai.”

They moved onto the next entry point.

\-----

The pair fought for Ame, Inaho, Taki, Kusa, Yuga, Yuki, Tani, and Shimo, but there were far too many villages and small nations to defend against villages with large armies. Even Sasuke’s weapons couldn’t keep them from falling. Sasuke and Kakashi did their best and Sasuke hurt the Great Shinobi Nations as much as he could, but almost all the villages fell after two years. Even Ame fell.

Kakashi was surprised how much the defeat of all the villages except Shimo and Taki hurt Sasuke. The war was essentially over once Tani admitted defeat. Sasuke and Kakashi had watched from the shadows as Tani surrendered. They returned to their home under the waterfall.

Kakashi was not as affected by their failure: he knew people on both sides and didn’t really have an opinion on who should win. He just sided with Sasuke and relished being able to use his skills. He thought Sasuke just fought out of spite and the same desire to use his skills. Kakashi felt the effort was hopeless.

But when they got home, Sasuke sat on their bed and stared off into space with his sword leaning against his shoulder. Kakashi took a shower and left Sasuke alone. When he came back, naked, still toweling his hair, Sasuke hadn’t moved. He was still in his combat gear except the mask and head cover he wore to hide his identity.

Kakashi threw his towel back into the bathroom and sat next to his lover. He threaded his fingers in Sasuke’s hair and rubbed his scalp. Sasuke melted, let his head fall forward so that Kakashi could explore more of his scalp. After a few minutes, Sasuke leaned sideways into Kakashi.

“Okay?” Kakashi asked.

“Yeah. It just feels like I failed. I don’t really have any stake in this war, but I wanted to help. I hate the large nations; I wanted to stop them. Doesn’t matter anymore. At least I made this war more costly to them. Now what?”

“First, take a shower. Then start thinking about your clan. You said you’d think about it after the war.”

Sasuke blew through his lips. “I don’t want to be a father, not yet at least. But I will take a shower.”

Kakashi slipped into boxers while Sasuke showered. He was longer than normal because of his distraction. He finally came out, clean and mostly dry.

“So, first thing done; want to suggest a different number two?” Sasuke asked.

Sasuke standing in the doorway completely nude gave Kakashi an idea. Long habit made Kakashi lean his book over his lower face where his mask usually was. He just stared at that beautiful body.

“Just standing here was not what I had in mind,” Sasuke said.

Kakashi slid his book down his face revealing a cocky grin. He put his book on the nightstand and lift his ass to strip his boxers.

Sasuke crawled over to him and they kissed. Kakashi stroked Sasuke’s bare chest until Sasuke pulled away to prepare himself. Kakashi watched Sasuke’s cock harden in anticipation as he lubed and opened himself. Kakashi needed no other stimulation; he was ready when Sasuke repositioned himself and lowered his hips.

Sasuke rode him and leaned down with his hands next to Kakashi’s chest. He ground down as Kakashi rolled his hips up rhythmically.

Kakashi ran his hand down Sasuke’s side, his fingers caressing his back. He could feel some of the senbon scars. Each one could represent one of things that had damaged him: his father’s inability to show affection or pride in him, a dozen for family remembers who Sasuke actually knew and grieved for, his brother’s abandonment, the things Itachi said to him that night, Sakura who professed for him but could never understand him, the friendship with Naruto that was so close it hurt, Kakashi leaving him in that tree, his rape, learning the truth about his brother, the blood he soaked his hands in in the name of revenge, attacking Konoha . . .

Sasuke was the most feared man in the world, but he was just a damaged young man seeking a few minutes of distraction with his lover.

Sasuke leaned back and reached back with a hand on Kakashi’s raised knee. He just wanted that release despite the stress on his thighs.

“Sasuke,” Kakashi directed Sasuke’s focus on him. “Want me to do it?”

Sasuke scowled in defeat and moved off Kakashi’s body. Kakashi got behind Sasuke and took him from behind. He loved holding Sasuke close like this. It was also the best way to get deep in his lover. By now he knew how to please him and Sasuke lowered his head as pleasure ripped up his spine.

To think Kakashi used to believe Sasuke was unattainable. He was his alone. His body covered Sasuke’s and he wrapped his arm around him and kissed his upper back. The other hand ventured down to rub the wet head of Sasuke’s cock, coating his hand in precum and then gripped Sasuke. Making his hand a tight tunnel, he used his own thrusts to force Sasuke’s cock through his fist. Sasuke almost chocked.

Kakashi sped up until he came inside him. He sped up his hand to finish Sasuke off. Sasuke snuggled right down into the mattress and pillow. Kakashi continued to lean over him. After a minute, he got out of bed to clean up; Sasuke seemed content to sleep on his own cum stains, but Kakashi freshened up before curling in next to him.

The roar of the waterfall around them wasn’t loud; it was nice background to lull them to sleep.

Kakashi got up in the morning. They had no windows in their bedroom, but there was one behind the waterfall made of Sasuke’s purple tinted chakra absorbing glass. With the bedroom door open, the outside light brightened up the room. He got up and dressed casually; he probably wasn’t leaving the apartment anytime soon.

The world outside had changed drastically, but under the waterfall, Sasuke still slept like a cat, sometimes sleeping as long as he stayed awake. He woke up with a stretch and a snarl. Kakashi smiled at him from behind his mask. He truly loved the asshole. That pathetic beard was struggling on his cheeks and his eyes were dull with sleep, but he was absolutely beautiful to him. He didn’t regret choosing Sasuke at all.

And yet, with the war over, they were jobless. They didn’t rely on any money from the nations they helped; they mostly hunted for food or depended on Tamaki to feed them. The waterfall’s water was fresh and their power came from a small waterwheel Sasuke hid in the waterfall.

It wasn’t the lack of paying jobs that now concerned Kakashi, it was just the boredom they were suddenly faced with. What could two outlaw shinobi do in a post-war world? All mercenary jobs would go to legitimate shinobi villages. For now though, just hunting and keeping their skills up by training would have to fill their time. Bounty hunting seemed like the only option.

It was odd to Kakashi that days of peace would be unsatisfying. How terrible shinobi were; peace was not their element, it was the worst thing for them. How do shinobi exist in peaceful days?

\-----

The war against Madara had not been a typical war and Naruto had really only fought against Zetsu clones and undead. This war had pitted him against real people, some who he’d been allied with a few years before. He thought a lot about what Sasuke had said to him: _But you feel tired too, don’t you? Isn’t loyalty to anything coming harder to you? Faith? Trust?_ The truth was, Sasuke was right. Naruto wasn’t so idealistic anymore and he was tired. Losing Sasuke and Kakashi, Sakura’s situation, having to kill real people for the first time . . . It took a toll on him. His eyes were darker and he grimly acknowledged that they were looking more and more like Sasuke’s.

And then there were the whispers that people, even other Konoha shinobi, were disappointed that Sasuke didn’t return. They whispered that his rule hadn’t been so bad. It had been peaceful. Sasuke had been the one they had to fear.

The war was over, but the shinobi world had reverted back to the state it had been when he was kid and ninja missions were necessary again. But there were changes. Defeated villages were forced to bring their shinobi to the conquers’ villages. Former enemy shinobi were among them; it was best to bring them under heel than let them remain segregated in their own villages. Distrust and paranoia were running rampant. Even Konoha had become a tense place.

Naruto took to long walks around the edges of the village when he was home; unknowingly adopting one of Sasuke’s favorite pastimes. Having spoken with Itachi a few times, he always made a point of stopping at the memorial. He asked Itachi to forgive him for failing to save Sasuke.

One night, he saw a pair of visitors at the memorial, dressed all in black. Sasuke’s duck butt hair was unmistakable as was Kakashi’s white brush of hair. Kakashi was standing behind Sasuke as a guard while Sasuke communed with his brother.

Naruto created a clone that he sent into the village and then approached the memorial. He didn’t try to hide his approach. Kakashi turned to look at him honestly unsure if Naruto intended to attack, raise the alarm, or just talk to them. Sasuke didn’t acknowledge Naruto, he just kept silently talking to his brother. Naruto stopped a few paces away and waited for Sasuke to finish. Kakashi let his attention slide from Naruto when he didn’t seemed to pose a threat.

Sasuke finally turned toward them. “Naruto.”

“Sasuke.”

Kakashi looked around, making sure no one else was watching.

“You were right,” Naruto said. “You both were.”

“I was in a position to see the war coming,” Kakashi said.

“I was delaying it,” Sasuke said.

“No, I mean about the other thing. I am finding it harder to be blindly loyal to Konoha. But you were right about the war too. I thought you’d come back to fight in the war.”

“We did,” Sasuke said with a half smile. “We fought in the shadows. We didn’t change the course of the war, but we helped where we could. Not Konoha, of course.”

Kakashi tensed. Someone was coming. He didn’t fully relax when he saw pink hair.

“A full bloody reunion,” Sasuke sneered.

Sakura stopped a few feet away, keeping the same distance Naruto was.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” Kakashi said to her. “I worried who might die in this war.”

“I was worried about you too.”

“You shouldn’t worry about me.”

Naruto looked between them in confusion. “Don’t you care about—” Naruto began.

“Don’t, Naruto,” Sakura cut in.

Sasuke was completely uninterested. “We should go.” He was slightly jealous. He may have Kakashi, but he didn’t like his lover talking to his former lover.

Kakashi didn’t look at Sakura, his eyes unfocused at the village behind her. “Was is a boy or a girl?” All three of them stared at him in shock. “I didn’t know, but it’s obvious from your words and tone.”

“A boy.”

“Haruno or Hatake?”

“Hatake. I named him Obito. Probably the most important lesson you gave us, and the first, was what he said about teamwork, right? I thought you’d approve.”

“I do. Thank you. Maybe I’ll teach him Chidori when he’s older.”

“If you live that long,” Sasuke said.

Kakashi surprised the other two by rolling his eyes. They couldn’t believe that Kakashi had no fear of Sasuke.

“Hn.” Sasuke vanished.

“Sorry for not being able to help raise him.” Kakashi vanished seconds later.

\-----

Kakashi appeared right in front of Sasuke, who looked annoyed that Kakashi always appeared right in his line of sight. Kakashi turned to see what Sasuke was looking at. A white haired two year old.

Lee was standing nearby, startled by Sasuke’s arrival and then Kakashi’s, but he didn’t move to attack them. Kakashi didn’t ask for or wait for permission, he went over to the crib and picked up the boy. Obito grabbed at the eye patch, knowing it didn’t belong on normal people’s faces. Kakashi let him grab and pull on it. The knot held fast and Obito grew frustrated, but before he could cry, Sasuke pulled the knot and the eye patch came off in Obito’s hand. Kakashi kept his eye closed though, keeping his red Sharingan hidden from his son. The boy just stared at him as if he knew this man was special to him.

Kakashi pronounced his name to little Obito and the boy repeated it.

“Great, it’s a parrot,” Sasuke said.

Kakashi turned to him with his son in his arms. “That’s your uncle Sasuke.”

“Uncle?” Sasuke asked. “I have nothing to do with him.”

“He’s your grumpy uncle.”

“I’m hungry.” Sasuke turned to find something to eat.

“Ducky!”

Sasuke whirled to glare at the little boy. Obito shrank back a bit. Kakashi laughed. “Yep, that’s your Uncle Ducky.”

Sasuke looked about to cuss him out so Kakashi came over and started putting the boy in his arms.

“But—”

Kakashi manipulated Sasuke’s arms to hold the kid properly. “Hold him for a minute, will ya?”

Obito grabbed one of Sasuke’s bangs and tugged. Sasuke’s scowl softened. “You’re lucky Kakashi’s your father or I’d feed you to a snake.”

The boy was too young to understand the threat. He yanked again.

“Kakashi, take him before I behead him.”

Kakashi smiled and took Obito from Sasuke.

Sasuke watched his lover with his son while Kakashi sat with him on the floor and the boy showed his toys to him like Kakashi was a new friend. Sasuke leaned back against the wall, only a little concerned about Lee’s presence.

Sasuke stood straight up away from the wall when the front door opened and Sakura came in. Both Sasuke and Sakura froze and stared into each other’s eyes, gauging the threat. Sasuke relaxed first.

“I’ll leave you to get acquainted. You shouldn’t stay too long,” Sasuke said and then teleported away.

Obito started to fall asleep. Sakura came over and picked him up and put him back in his crib.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve seen you a few times since he was conceived.”

“How do I just blurt out, ‘I’m pregnant’ or ‘I’ve had your baby’?”

“I’m not mad.”

She turned around. “Would you have left with him?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t have done anything different except visited.”

“Why did you choose to stay with him and not come home? Naruto said he gave you a choice.”

“Home? Even if I knew about Obito, I’m not trusted here. Sasuke, however, trusts me. In the time I lived with him I learned more about him, what happened to him after he left Konoha. I understand him. I couldn’t leave him alone. I’m part of the reason he turned out like he did. I’ll keep an eye on him. And I’ll come visit. If you let me.”

“Of course you can visit. He is your son.”

Kakashi smiled warmly. “Thank you. I know you wouldn’t have an abortion, but thank you for not giving him up or anything.”

“He’s my son too.”

Kakashi got up and turned to Lee who had just stood back and watched the entire time. “Thank you for helping to raise him. And thank you for taking care of Sakura as well.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kakashi summoned himself to Sasuke. Sasuke was sitting on their bed, waiting for him.

“I am sorry, Kakashi,” Sasuke said. “I feel bad that I’ve kept you from your son.”

“He must have been conceived the night before you replaced me as Hokage. I couldn’t even raise a bunch of twelve year olds; I’m not sure I’d be a good father.”

“I won’t stop you from going to see him. I’m not that selfish.”

“The war is pretty much over; what about your clan?”

Sasuke sighed. “If you doubt your fitness to be a father . . . Someday, maybe.”

_fin_

\----------

That’s the end. When Obito’s a teenager and Naruto’s Hokage, Konoha will use Obito to find where Kakashi and Sasuke are living. The three of them will be forced to flee and they’ll retake the Land of Rivers from Suna and establish their own village. Sasuke will father children, with Tamaki. I really don’t think there’s enough there to write a sequel or even another chapter.


End file.
